PUREPECHA CULTURE
Territory
The Purepecha culture, also called Tarascos, is an ethnic community of Michoacan, Mexico, and also of some valleys in Guanajuato and Jalisco. They inhabited between 1200 A.D and 1521. Nowadays some of them are still inhabitating in some parts of Michoacan but they are not an empire anymore. Its capital was the city of Tzintzuntzan. This culture is characterized by being able to defend itself against the attacks of the Azteca culture. They were used to built letter t-shaped pyramids.
Social structure
The most important person was the “cazonci” (the king).
Then nobles.
Priests.
Warriors.
And at last inhabitants (fishermen, peasants, artisans, etc).
Language
It is called Purepecha language and nowadays it is only spoken by a small group of just a few more than 100.000 people in just 22 municipalities of Michoacan. It is considered as an isolated language. There are three variants in the language, they depend on the region: lake region, central and the region of mountain range.
Religion
Their religion was polytheistic. They focused on an universe divided in three: heaven, Earth and underworld (hell). Some of their principal deities were:
Curicaveri: the fire god.
Cuerauáperi: all gods’ mother and father.
Xarátanga: the moon god
They were used to do human sacrifices to calm down gods or to show them respect, though they were the civilization that did it less than the other civilizations.
Economy
Their principal activities were (and still being) agriculture, fishing, shoot, craftwork and business. Principally they used to sow beans, corn, chilli, pumpkin, amaranth, etc., next to lakes. Also they used to make ceramic pots, pipes, metallic rings, masks, etc., nowadays they also embroider clothes, make pots, ladles, plates and so many things with copper, only to mention just a little of the whole variety of craftworks they make.
References:
http://www.historiacultural.com/2011/10/cultura-purepecha-o-tarasca.html
http://es.slideshare.net/vickiaibaluz/cultura-purepecha-16245738
http://www.cdi.gob.mx/pueblos_mexico/purepechas.pdf
