Historia del istmo de Tehuantepec

Leticia Reina presents a comprehensive study of the nineteenth-century Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which she describes as a region that has greatly benefited from its geographical location in southern Oaxaca. The author convincingly portrays the isthmus's multicultural character as the result of interethnic mixing with neighboring indigenous groups, freed blacks, and the immigrants who arrived following the region's commercial exchange with worldwide economies. The Isthmus Zapotecs, Reina argues, encouraged newcomers to adopt their culture while strategically embracing foreign introductions. The author, who is a highly regarded scholar at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, researched the isthmus over three decades. The book is thematically composed of four chapters, respectively addressing territory and settlement, regional economy, society and politics, and identity and culture.In line with recent Oaxacan studies, Leticia Reina reminds us in the first chapter that the Spanish presence in Oaxaca was small compared to other major colonial centers. The author argues that while the Isthmus Zapotec nobility cooperated with colonial institutions, they did not succumb to Spanish culture. With fast-moving snapshots, we see how the Isthmus Zapotecs remained prominent despite internal indigenous tensions such as colonizing incursions by Nahuas or economic competition with neighboring native peoples. Reina's inclusion of the area south of Veracruz, often called Sotavento, is a welcome reminder that the mountainous sierras that divide this region are inhabited by several indigenous societies, including the Chimalapas, Mixes, Chontales, and Huaves, who interacted regularly in Zapotec-controlled territory. Porfirian efforts to colonize the isthmus by promoting European immigration resulted in French, Swiss, and US interest in the agricultural areas that belonged to indigenous groups. These communities were coerced to congregate into pockets, leaving vast stretches of productive lands for foreign settlement (p. 84).Reina explores traditions and innovations of progress and modernity in the second chapter. She discusses the ways in which the independence wars affected the isthmus's economy. Owing to indigenous agricultural practices, the isthmus region was able to maintain its economic ties to neighboring southern regions like Chiapas, Guatemala, and Veracruz, along with European exchange via maritime commerce. However, the Bourbon reforms disrupted the Oaxacan economy by limiting the amount of profitable products such as cochineal that were controlled by indigenous communities while at the same time encouraging these communities to produce other dyes such as indigo. One product that grew twofold during this time was salt; locals were able to control its production despite official attempts at directing its commerce. Moreover, raw materials like dyes, salts, spices, and luxury woods were being extracted and often looted through maritime transport into the worldwide markets, while cheap US and European finished products like cloth and alcoholic beverages were imported into the isthmus (p. 141). Finally, the few haciendas in the isthmus, owned by foreigners, were judged to be backward because they continued growing corn, beans, and squash and obtained most of their revenue from livestock. On the other hand, Juchitán and Tehuantepec, centers of sugar production, had embraced modernization of equipment and irrigation systems and were considered sophisticated cities.The third chapter, on society and politics, relies on the census data of 1845 and 1890 and focuses on Tehuantepec and Juchitán. Reina demonstrates the transformations in occupations and the burgeoning urban landscape. The author's discussion of the assault by neoliberal reforms on the agricultural and fishing occupations of indigenous communities and the Porfirian colonization of native lands is very useful in understanding the underdevelopment in the Mixe, Zoque, and Huave regions. While her approach to studying the Isthmus of Tehuantepec follows historiographical trends, Reina's most significant contribution in this work is her analysis of the process of acculturation that followed European immigration, which she calls the “zapotequization” of European culture (p. 225). There were two major waves of foreign immigration: the first between 1840 and 1880 following the modernization of agricultural production and the selective immigration sponsored by the Porfirian government, the second from 1880 to 1912 as a result of the construction of the railroad that increased foreign immigration, particularly from China.The fourth chapter, on identity and culture, complements the economic and social history offered to this point with an ethnographic study. Reina further develops the idea of the zapotequization of European customs and traditions, which were superimposed on preexisting indigenous ones (p. 36). She focuses on the Isthmus Zapotec females, the Tehuanas, as notable representatives of this zapotequization, whose worldview reflects their complex history, economy, and ethnic diversity. Reina is convincing in her presentation of the emblematic Tehuana dress as resulting from international trade, with luxurious lace, threads, and jewelry brought in from Europe, Asia, and the United States. As a result of indigenous cultural negotiation, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec continues to be recognized for its prominent Zapotec culture.This book is methodologically well researched and written and is accessible to a wide audience. It is a welcome addition to Oaxacan historiography

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