[The indigenous population of Sierra Norte de Puebla]. / La poblacion indigena de la Sierra Norte de Puebla.

PIP: The northern sierra region of Pueblo, Mexico, contains 1496 communities in 65 municipios and covers 1/4 of the area of the state of Puebla. The topography is steep and mountainous, and the area is inaccessible. The region contains the 3 principal zones of Mesoamerica, hot lands from sea level to 700 meters above sea level, temperate zones from 700-1500 meters, and cold country from 1500-2000 meters above sea level. Most of the population resides in the temperate and cold lands, but the hot zones are economically important. Little is known of the prehistory of the area. The Totonac were believed to have been the earliest settlers. In the mid-15th century numerous Nahua groups came to the area. In the late 15th century the region fell to the Aztecs, but their dominion was cut short by the arrival of the Spanish. Spanish penetration was relatively slow because of the difficult terrain and the lack of precious metals desired by the Spanish. The introduction of coffee cultivation in the late 19th century accelerated the adoption of urban-mestizo sociocultural and commercial elements by the indigenous population. The population of the northern sierra increased from 752,656 in 1980 to 965,976 in 1990. The 1980 census reported that 259,140 persons spoke indigenous languages, including 179,677 who spoke Nahuatl, 66,020 Totonaco, and 4921 Otomi. The most important cities are located on paved roads: Teziutland, Zacatlan, Hauachinango, and Zacapoaxtla. The municipios with predominantly monolingual indigenous populations are concentrated in the most difficult to reach areas of the central sierra massif. The region is characterized by temporary and permanent emigration of the indigenous population. The main reasons for emigration are lack of land and of alternative sources of employment, and desire for education. During the months August-December, known as the time of hunger, there is seasonal migration of household heads in search of work as laborers in cane cutting, tobacco, or fruit harvesting. The local economy is based on subsistence agriculture and production of coffee, fruits, and woods for export. The most isolated and inaccessible communities have preserved traditional cultural elements the most strongly.^ieng