Cuacha

[Mark David Morris]

Johanna and all,

I don't have a Purepecha dictionary handy to check on the etymology of
"cuacha" that David Frye cited from Santamaria, but given this term's
association with Jalisco and the northwest, I don't think it is unlikely
that it could be a hybrid of cuacha and xolotl.  Most of the hybrids I
know of are rooted in very early eras of Nahuatl's introduction into
central Mesoamerica, but western Michoacan and Jalisco have had a
different cultural-linguistic dynamic, one that was still in flux even in
the postclassic and continued to be under colonial rule.  I would think
that some of the linguistic works on Jalisco and Michoacan, from Agustin
de la Rosa, Davila Garibay etc. would give an idea whether there is a
history of hybridization between Nahuatl, Purepecha and other languages in
the region.  At least calling a dirty kid a "filthy doll" makes more sense
to me than anything Nahuatl roots alone suggests.

best,
Mark Morris



















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La muerte tiene permiso a todo

MDM, PhD Candidate
Dept. of History, Indiana Univ.