Secondly, to show that there are examples and points of contact for a current alternative to the existing globalised capitalism. Then I will discuss why it makes sense and is accurate to call this society matriarchal in spite of the existence of patriarchal elements within the society. The Middle-American Indian ethnic group of the Isthmus-Zapotecs settled in the South of Mexico on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, on the pacific side of the isthmus between the Atlantic Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, in an area of approx.
The population is about This group has a more or less matrifocal orientation. They portray the characteristics of this ethnic group very clearly. In this large rural town, which is really only a huge village, I ran a research project between and and during this time lived there continuously for a whole year.
The isthmus has been a transit area since before the Spanish invasion, and has served as a trading route between the north and the Central American south, between the Aztecs and the Mayans.
This role of a trading post and traffic junction of international routes has continued through colonial times and the building of the railway in the nineteenth century to the present day. In the free trade port of Salina Cruz, where large refineries were built nearby, the crude oil is produced on the Atlantic side of the isthmus.
In the course of the major development project "Plan Puebla-Panama" multi-tracked highways and railway tracks are planned, some already started, as well as the extension of container ports, the petrochemical industry and world market factories. In view of this geo-political economic situation, the question is obvious, how much longer will this other, non-patriarchal economy and culture be able to persist.
