52 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 13 



hills may have native names ; others, as far as we 

 could discover, are unnamed, either in Totonac or 

 Mexicano : 



From Tajin to Papantla, the trail climbs a sharp grade, 

 known locally as the Cerro de Taracatloco. One inform- 

 ant thinks that the name given "by the old people" was 

 talakalok, but he is unable to offer a translation. Another 

 maintains that the name is not Totonac ; "no hills have 

 Totonac names." 



A more reliable case is that of a hill on the trail to 

 Palma Sola, where a long climb is known as neq , saka,na"> 

 (neq?, ahl, there; sakana, raspa sombrero, scratch hat, 

 name of an unidentified tree). Formerly, it is said, the 

 tree was plentiful on this hill. 



Another hill — which is also an archeological site — near 

 Santa Catarina and La Laja, in the Espinal zone, is said 

 to be known in Totonac as spayat. The latter is the name 

 of an unidentified vine — one "which stings when one does 

 not see it, but does not sting if observed." 



Perhaps because of the preoccupation with the 

 water supply, arroyos receive more attention : 



It has been noted above that the Arroyo de Tlahuanapa 

 has a Totonac name, said to be untranslatable. A tribu- 

 tary of it is known as skuyfitpuSka (skuyat, Vumbre, fire; 

 puSka, arroyo). Another small stream is known as sapus- 

 kauknni (puska, arroyo; ukun, the pimienta tree, No. 30). 

 Still another is called pulq'maniapuska (pulq'mania, 

 hondo, deep; puska, arroyo). 



The little stream which runs through the heart of modern 

 Tajfn generally is called the Arroyo de Ortiga (nettle ar- 

 royo). The Totonac equivalent is said to be sapuskaka 

 (puska, arroyo; kfijni' ; , ortiga, nettle). This, we suspect, 

 is a translation from Spanish to Totonac. 



Of other place names, only one remains : 



A spot on the trail to Papantla, near a group of houses 

 known as La Finca, is called nek'sawal (nek, alii, there; 

 sawal, zapote negro, No. 125). A zapote tree once stood 

 at this point ; although it has disappeared, the name 

 endures. 



This dearth of names for geographical features 

 evidentty does not characterize the Totonac zone 

 of the Sierra, for which there is ample evidence 

 of native place names which were current a couple 

 of centuries ago. The data are contained in a 

 series of documents found by Palerm in the Ar- 

 chivo General de la Nacion. Most deal with de- 

 limitation of pueblo lands, between 1716 and 1719 ; 

 at that time, at least, the Sierra Totonac mani- 

 festly were well supplied with local place names. 80 



In short, despite the general impression that 

 Totonacapan is innocent of Totonac place names 

 (Krickeberg, p. 30) , it is evident that as late as the 

 eighteenth century, the Sierra Totonac had an 

 abundance of native terms for geographical fea- 

 tures. Moreover, it is said that Totonac names 

 exist today for most of the highland pueblos, al- 

 though the Mexican names are more generally 



80 In the paragraphs below, the original orthography, both 

 Spanish and Totonac, has been preserved, except for modern 

 pueblo names, whose spelling follows the 1930 census. It will 

 he noted that a number of terms start with "nac," which ap- 

 parently means en (Patifio. p. 31) or "in." 



The earliest record dates from 1045 and is contained in a docu- 

 ment which treats of differences between Chimin! Inn and Zozo- 



colco (AGN, No. 4). It mentions, in the vicinity of Jnlostoc, an 

 "aroio grande llamado ytacaquian." which is said to mean "en 

 los limit es del pueblo." 



The records for 1716 are extensive and are contained in a 

 series of documents which describe the litigations between Ixtepec 

 and Tapayula on the one hand and Atlequizayan on the other 

 (AGN, No. 2). Place names are abundant and for some a 

 Spanish translation is given. 



Boundary between Coatepec ■ and Tapayula : Nactagxgt, 

 Nacmachana. sinsoyuco, Nacxaca, Nacpoxnf, Ys'.ogotnohogo, 

 Nacmaxnatalpan. 



Between Camocuautla and Tapayula : Naexaquln, cacixtama 

 yxuhuani, Nalcxui nataxgoit. 



Boundaries of San Miguel, a subject of Xonacatla : tonco, pan, 

 littlfn. 



Those of San Bartolome. a subject of Hueytlalpan : majchanac, 

 maxnitalpan, Taxcon ("nombre de tin parage"), Tamax guaxni, 

 acoxqul, xasqufn. In this same connection, the document men- 

 tions a river, which in "their language" is called "La paxtoca." 



Boundaries of Ixtepec : "cl parage nombrado laguextog," 

 Yxlipachococantzcan, Guetzgaya, Cahalan. 



Boundary between Ixtepec, Atlequizayan, and Xonacatla : 

 Nacxaca, Cashuacan, Nacatzan, o Pau [sic], Axcon, Naclltzin, 

 Nacpolcoyat, Nacqueltfhuaxni. Nacthoncoat. 



The limits of "San Francisco Tapainla" [Tapayula], which 

 bounds San Bartolome', are said to be as follows : Nagchanall, 

 Naczpatan, Nacchajalaga, Nactoquiguichic. 



Those of "San Pedro Comaquautla" [Camocuautla] arc: 

 Nacagsaguacxcan, Naccaguitlan. Nacshpauh, Nacagehogotno. 



Now comes a long series of names of landmarks separating 

 "San Sebastian Tostla - ' [Tuxtla] from various settlements. The 

 document states specifically that the names are Totonac and 

 gives, in most cases, the Spanish translation, which appears 

 below in parentheses. 



With the barrio of San Martin: Tonco <Lu:cro), Nacmosfnc 

 (Cucba), Tangana (el Sumidero), quintzi ( cl palo duro). Xaexfi;or 

 (el plumero). 



With the barrio of La Conception : Naepixala (qucso dclgado), 

 Xoqiiilo gua (culebra de, bcnado). 



With Atlequizayan: Naclnrax (el Naranjal), Gucsgalla (cntre 

 dos Scrros), Atan (cl palo duro), Nactlitlin (el cantadero) . 



Witli Xonacatla: Nacalpatag (cabeza de chachalaca), Sachon- 

 cal (cl espantajo), Mosfnchochot (cueba de agua) {sic; see be- 

 low], Coneapan (eriaturu de agua). 



With "San Francisco Casgnacan" [Caxhuacan] : Mosfnchochot 

 (Anuila de Cal) [sic], cococ (el Arcnal). 



With the barrio of Huchuetla : Nalal poloc (scrro abujereado). 

 Naclisuextoc (dondc se encuentran dos arroyos). 



With Ffupytlalpon : Nactolon (picdra parada) , Nacsaxan [no 

 translation], Naccahalan (dondc sttcnan las picdras), Nacixli- 

 pazgonchou (calentadero de sopilotcs). 



With Xonacatla : Galnaxipit (scrro de cacaloies), Acpof (dondc 

 sosiega cl aire). 



Additional boundary of Tuxtla : NacJxlipachochocacac (nido 

 de concjos). 



The same series of documents includes one, dated, however, 

 171S, which gives the landmarks separating Ixtepec and Huey- 

 tlalpan : tzangana, xfpot, Pixafa. Alpaleot, Alaxos, Caxcaya, 

 littlin, zgata choehot. However, for certain points along this 

 boundary, very touching Spanish translations nro given : lama- 

 coxomfxit (Paz), Matalnhloi (Amistad), Cacztnhnfslat (quietud), 

 tahaxnl ( dcscanso). ztnctayat (escarmicnto) , tacaechit (felici- 



