Tacuates: The Land of Tonas and Nahuales

In the Tacuates, there are the inhabitants of the land of the "Serpent Lord."

It is said that Ixtayuca, an eagle, took the children to his "Yuku Tasu" crag where they were devoured. 

The origins of the Tacuates are recounted in the "Lienzo de Zacatepec," painted in the 16th century, and in the Mural or Ñunahá Codex.

Nahualism is practiced in the community and, at birth, they perform a ceremony to find out their nahual. This information is kept secret until they are old enough to know it. 

Their attire is very showy and in it you can appreciate the richness of their cosmovision. It is made on a waist loom and hand embroidered with pink, gray, blue, green, or red cotton. 

Women wear a huipil, necklace, earrings, and ribbons. 

The Tacuates of Zacatepec call their men's clothing "cotón." It consists of three pieces: the cotón (shirt), the pants, and the girdle.

Its preparation ranges from four months to one year. All of the clothing is made of cotton and consists of several openings as an adaptation to the climate of the small coast of Oaxaca

The embroidery symbolizes the nahuals of the community. 

The eagle in the middle is the greater eagle and the frayed one in the middle represents the coral snake, as does the girdle.

The cotón is long and reaches the floor. It is rolled up at the front to create a "bag" and a tail on the rear side. 

According to the oral tradition, "tacuate" comes from tlacuache, which is why the bag and the tail are like this marsupial.