essay

The social consequences of Zapotec inheritance

social, political, and economic life in contemporary oaxaca • Nashville, Tenn. • Published In 1979 • Pages: 161-179

By: Downing, Theodore E..

Abstract
This report is a study of the effects of inheritance patterns on social solidarity. Downing's investigations among the Zapotec Indians seem to indicate '...that inheritance is an important element in an elaborate sequence of social exchanges. These exchanges structure alliances between households' (p. 162). In overall perspective, such alliances tend to contribute to the continuity and solidarity of the Zapotec's maximal societal group, the village, by means of a process of structuring the interactions of their minimal societal groups, the households.
Subjects
Community structure
Inheritance
Household
culture
Zapotec
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Central Mexico
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1980: John Beierle; 2007
Field Date
1966-1970
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Diaz Ordaz and San Miguel del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
Notes
Theodore Edmond Dowing
Includes bibliographical references (p. 178-179)
LCCN
80108823
LCSH
Zapotec Indians