Native American group, living in what are now the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Puebla, and comprising the Mixtecan stock and language family.

The Mixtec culture flourished in southern Mexico from the 9th to the early 16th century.

The Mixtec were the most famous craftspeople in Mexico, and even today some of the finest art comes from this group. Their metalwork and stonework were unsurpassed. Other specialties included feather mosaics, painted polychrome pottery, and fabric weaving and embroidery.

Among significant contributions made by the Mixtec were the pictographic recording of military and social history (many of these codices survive today); agricultural techniques; architecture (ruins of Mitla and Monte Albán are some of the most impressive in Mexico); and a calendar similar to the one used by the Aztecs.

The Mixtec were marginally involved in the declining Maya civilization to the south and remained fiercely independent of the Aztecs to the north.

*** see also Pre Columbian Art & Architecture, Post-Classic Period, Mixtec ***

"Mixtec," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.