Tepehuas

Tepehuas

Tepehua location map
Total population
16,051
Regions with significant populations
Mexico(Hidalgo,Veracruz,Puebla)
Languages
Tepehua languages,Spanish
Religion
Indigenous religion,Christianity

TheTepehuasare anindigenous people of Mexicowhose name means inNahuatl,"people of the mountain", although they refer to themselves without a term or name that encompasses a supposed ethnic group. They also useendoethnonymsthat originate in Spanish-influenced Nahuatl:

• masipijní:the Tepehua people
• hamasipiní:who lives on a hill
• hamasip:owners of hills

They mainly live in the three Mexican states ofHidalgo,VeracruzandPuebla.The Tepehuas extend over a wide range of high settlements, between 240 and 820 metres (790 and 2,690 ft).

Location

The Tepehua territory covers a narrow area and other eastern slopes of Sierra Madre Oriental. There are essentially three Tepehua regions:

• Huehuetla,Hidalgo
• Tlachichilco,Veracruz
• Pisaflores, Veracruz

The Tepehuas are made up of two distinct ethnolinguistic groups:

1. Tepehua del occidental (western), inTlachichilco,Zontecomatlánand, to a lesser extent,Texcatepec.
2. Tepehua suroriental (southeastern), dispersed in Hidalgo, Puebla and Veracruz. In turn, the southeastern Tepehua ethnic group is subdivided into three:
   1. Tepehua meridional (southern): in the municipality ofHuehuetla.
   2. Tepehua oriental (eastern): for centuries in the municipality ofIxhuatlán de Maderoand later, during the second half of the 20th century, they moved to settle inFrancisco Z. Mena(Puebla) andPánuco(Veracruz)
   3. Tepehua poblano (Puebla): at the beginning of the 20th century this group came from Huehuetla (Hidalgo) to settle in Totonac communities of the Puebla municipalities of Francisco Z. Mena,Venustiano Carranzaand mostlyPantepec.