The four neighborhoods were interconnected, physically and socially, through a central place. This was the fifth element where the supreme government rested, administration and coordination of the four neighborhoods and surrounding towns of the Etla Valley.
This central square, which was the fifth element of the city had the main buildings. Thus the meeting place, both for festivals, rituals or assemblies; where openly and democratically decided the life of the town.
Jaguar Claw and Thin flower were common couple, in a Zapotec community in the Valley of Oaxaca, towards the year 830 CE. Jaguar claw was a laborious farmer, he made the land shake with his milpa; there he planted corn, beans, chili and pumpkin. Sometimes he planted cotton, amaranth, peanut or what was required
With his wife and his son, Jaguar claw obtained from nearby fields and forests; honey, mushrooms and a wide variety of wild plants. They also collected grasshoppers and other edible insects. Their diet was supplemented with fish from nearby rivers and Lakes, or shrimp and salted fish brought from the coast.
Sometimes, Jaguar claw went out hunting. Meat was an occasional dish and especially, for special circumstances, which were almost always related to religious or family holidays. In the House patio, Thin flower also had turkeys and hairless dogs, which were a succulent and very special dish.
And as a family and neighborhood tradition, Jaguar claw was a skilled Potter. This allowed him to exchange goods that he did not produce; as salt, which was brought from the coast, some fabrics, paper and some materials used to decorate his pottery.
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