Middle American Peoples, AMU-ZAP
Discover the peoples of Middle America, where Indigenous civilizations, colonial encounters, and vibrant living traditions have shaped the cultures of Central America and the Caribbean.
Middle American Peoples Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Amuzgo
Amuzgo, ethnolinguistic Indian group of eastern Guerrero and western Oaxaca states, southern Mexico. Their language......
Arawak
Arawak, American Indians of the Greater Antilles and South America. The Taino, an Arawak subgroup, were the first......
Aztec
Aztec, Nahuatl-speaking people who in the 15th and early 16th centuries ruled a large empire in what is now central......
Boruca
Boruca, Indians of western Panama and Costa Rica, one of a group known as Talamancan. Their languages are similar......
BribrĂ
BribrĂ, Indians of the tropical forests of eastern Costa Rica, closely associated with the Talamancan peoples of......
Carib
Carib, Indigenous American people who inhabited the Lesser Antilles and parts of the neighboring South American......
Central American and northern Andean Indian
Central American and northern Andean Indian, member of any of the aboriginal peoples inhabiting Central America......
Chachi
Chachi, Indians of the coastal lowlands of western Ecuador, one of the few aboriginal groups left in the region.......
Chatino
Chatino, Mesoamerican Indians of southwestern Oaxaca state in southern Mexico. The Chatino language is closely......
Chichimec
Chichimec, any of several groups of Indians who invaded central Mexico from the north in the 12th and 13th centuries......
Chinantec
Chinantec, Middle American Indians of northwestern Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The area is mountainous and not easily......
Chocho
Chocho, Middle American Indians of northern Oaxaca in southern Mexico, speaking a Popolocan language. The region......
ChocĂł
ChocĂł, Cariban-speaking Indian people of the Panamanian and Colombian lowlands. The Northern ChocĂł, the most populous,......
Chol
Chol, Mayan Indians of northern Chiapas in southeastern Mexico. The Chol language is closely related to Chontal,......
Chontal
Chontal, Mayan Indians of Oaxaca and Tabasco states in southeastern Mexico. They are linguistically closely related......
Chorotega
Chorotega, the most powerful American Indian tribe of northwest Costa Rica at the time of the Spanish conquest.......
ChortĂ
ChortĂ, Mayan Indians of eastern Guatemala and Honduras and formerly of adjoining parts of El Salvador. The ChortĂ......
Ciboney
Ciboney, Indian people of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. By the time of European contact, they had......
Coconuco
Coconuco, Indian people of what is now the southern Colombian highlands at the time of the Spanish conquest, related......
Cuicatec
Cuicatec, Mesoamerican Indian people of northeastern Oaxaca in southern Mexico. They live in a hilly area, partly......
Cumanagoto
Cumanagoto, Indians of northeastern Venezuela at the time of the Spanish conquest. Since the 17th century they......
CĂĄgaba
CĂĄgaba, South American Indian group living on the northern and southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta......
CĂĄhita
CĂĄhita, group of North American Indian tribes that inhabited the northwest coast of Mexico along the lower courses......
Diegueño
Diegueño, a group of Yuman-speaking North American Indians who originally inhabited large areas extending on both......
Guahibo and Chiricoa
Guahibo and Chiricoa, two Indigenous South American groups inhabiting the savannas along the Orinoco River in eastern......
GuaymĂ
GuaymĂ, Central American Indians of western Panama, divisible into two main groups, the Northern GuaymĂ and the......
Huastec
Huastec, Mayan Indians of Veracruz and San LuĂs PotosĂ states in east-central Mexico. The Huastec are independent......
Huichol and Cora
Huichol and Cora, neighbouring Middle American Indian peoples living in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit in western......
Ikoot
Ikoot, Indigenous Mesoamerican people of the Pacific coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The exact relationship......
Ixcatec
Ixcatec, Middle American Indians living in a single town, Santa MarĂa IxcatlĂĄn, in northern Oaxaca, Mex. There......
Jicaque
Jicaque, Indians of the northwest coast of Honduras. Their culture is similar to that of the Sumo and Miskito of......
Kaqchikel
Kaqchikel, Mayan people of the midwestern highlands of Guatemala, closely related linguistically and culturally......
KekchĂ
KekchĂ, Mayan Indians of central Guatemala, living in damp highlands and lowlands of irregular terrain. The KekchĂ......
Kuna
Kuna, Chibchan-speaking people who once occupied the central region of what is now Panama and the neighboring San......
Kâicheâ
Kâicheâ, Mayan people living in the midwestern highlands of Guatemala. The Kâicheâ had an advanced civilization......
LacandĂłn
LacandĂłn, Mayan Indians living primarily near the Mexico-Guatemala border in the Mexican state of Chiapas, though......
Ladino
Ladino, Westernized Central American person of predominantly mixed Spanish and indigenous descent. In that sense,......
Lenca
Lenca, Indians of the northern highlands of Honduras and El Salvador who are somewhat intermediate culturally between......
maroon community
maroon community, a group of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who gained their freedom by fleeing......
Maya
Maya, Indigenous people of Mesoamerica occupying a nearly continuous territory in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and......
Mayo
Mayo, Indian people centred in southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa states on the west coast of Mexico. They speak......
Mazatec
Mazatec, Mesoamerican Indians of northern Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The region is mostly mountainous, with small......
Mesoamerican Indian
Mesoamerican Indian, member of any of the indigenous peoples inhabiting Mexico and Central America (roughly between......
Middle American Indian
Middle American Indian, member of any of the aboriginal peoples inhabiting the area from northern Mexico to Nicaragua.......
Miskito
Miskito, Central American Indians of the lowlands along the Caribbean coast of northeastern Nicaragua. They were......
Mixe-Zoquean
Mixe-Zoquean, group of Middle American Indian peoples inhabiting territories in southern Mexico. The Mixe-Zoquean......
Mixtec
Mixtec, Middle American Indian population living in the northern and western sections of the state of Oaxaca and......
Nahua
Nahua, Middle American Indian population of central Mexico, of which the Aztecs (see Aztec) of pre-Conquest Mexico......
Northern Mexican Indian
Northern Mexican Indian, member of any of the aboriginal peoples inhabiting northern Mexico. The generally accepted......
Olmec
Olmec, the first elaborate pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica (c. 1200â400 bce) and one that is thought......
OtomĂ
OtomĂ, Middle American Indian population living in the central plateau region of Mexico. The OtomĂ peoples speak......
Palenque
Palenque, Indian tribe of northern Venezuela at the time of the Spanish conquest (16th century). The Palenque were......
Palta
Palta, Ecuadorian Indian ethnolinguistic group that lived in the Andean highlands at the time of the Spanish conquest......
Pocomam
Pocomam, Mayan Indians of the highlands of eastern Guatemala. The Pocomam are primarily agriculturists; they cultivate......
Popoloca
Popoloca, Middle American Indians of southern Puebla state in central Mexico (not to be confused with the Popoluca......
PuruhĂĄ
PuruhĂĄ, Ecuadorian Indians of the Andean highlands at the time of the Spanish conquest. Although the highlands......
Seri
Seri, a tribe of Mesoamerican Indians who live on TiburĂłn Island in the Gulf of California and on the adjacent......
Sumo
Sumo, Mesoamerican Indian people of the eastern coastal plain of Nicaragua, closely related to the neighbouring......
Tarahumara
Tarahumara, Middle American Indians of Barranca de Cobre (âCopper Canyonâ), southwestern Chihuahua state, in northern......
Tarasco
Tarasco, Indian people of northern MichoacĂĄn state in central Mexico. The area in which the Tarasco live is one......
TaĂno
TaĂno, Arawakan-speaking people who at the time of Christopher Columbusâs exploration inhabited what are now Cuba,......
Tepehuan
Tepehuan, Middle American Indians of southern Chihuahua, southern Durango, and northwestern Jalisco states in northwestern......
Tequistlatec
Tequistlatec, Indian people centred in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca estado (âstateâ), Mexico. Their subsistence......
Tojolabal
Tojolabal, Mayan Indians of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico, near the Guatemalan border. The Tojolabal language......
Toltec
Toltec, Nahuatl-speaking tribe who held sway over what is now central Mexico from the 10th to the 12th century......
Totonac
Totonac, Indigenous people of the eastern coastal region of Mexico, whose traditional territory extends across......
Tzeltal
Tzeltal, Mayan Indians of central Chiapas, in southeastern Mexico, most closely related culturally and linguistically......
Tzotzil
Tzotzil, Mayan Indians of central Chiapas in southeastern Mexico. Linguistically and culturally, the Tzotzil are......
Tzâutujil
Tzâutujil, Mayan Indians of the midwestern highlands of Guatemala. The Tzâutujil language is closely related to......
Why are Native Americans called Indians?
Native Americans are called Indians due to a historical misinterpretation by Christopher Columbus. The term âIndianâ......
Xinca
Xinca, Mesoamerican Indians of southeastern Guatemala. Xinca territory traditionally extended about 50 miles (80......
Yaqui
Yaqui, Indian people centred in southern Sonora state, on the west coast of Mexico. They speak the Yaqui dialect......
Yucatec Maya
Yucatec Maya, Middle American Indians of the YucatĂĄn Peninsula in eastern Mexico. The Yucatec were participants......
Zapotec
Zapotec, Middle American Indian population living in eastern and southern Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The Zapotec......