Tzintzun Family History & Genealogy

Summary

Tzintzun may also be spelled Sinsun, Zinzun, or Zinsun. The origin of the surname Tzintzun, its meaning, and the history of the Tzintzun family - as well as the ethnicity of the Tzintzun family - are unknown.  If you have more information about the Tzintzun famiy, please add it to this page.

History

Quechua In the TzintzuntzeÒo case, it is clear how migration comes to
accelerate changes in the TzintzuntzeÒo identity. According to
Kemper, (1994: 123-124) almost one half of the Tzintzuntzan
population is a poblacion extendida (extended population) with important
links in Mexico, particularly Mexico City (Kemper, 1976) and the United
States. Also, the use of a unique language to define TzintzuntzeÒo identity
presents some problems: most of the inhabitants of Tzintzuntzan are not
Purepecha speakers (Foster, 1967; Kemper, 1976). TzintzuntzeÒo
migration, among with other factors, leads us to new dynamics in defining
TzintzuntzeÒo identity. Critical to the understanding of TzintzuntzeÒo
identity is their relationship with Tzintzuntzan, the pre-Columbian capital.
Y·catas (Tzintzuntzanís pyramids), still are an important element in the
contemporary landscape of Tzintzuntzan and the peopleís identity.
Belonging to a common historical background is a strong element
affecting TzintzuntzeÒo identity. TzintzuntzeÒos interviewed reported
ìfeeling part of a common past,î particularly the development of the
Tarascan empire in the pre-Columbian era. This is significant in the
understanding the groupís cohesion. Like the Teopitecos, in Stephenís
analysis, today TzintzuntzeÒos still use the language of kinship to relate
to their important TzintzuntzeÒo social institutions. The cargo system
still makes up strong pillar supporting TzintzuntzeÒosí solidarity Tzintzun may also be spelled Sinsun, Zinzun, or Zinsun. The origin of the surname Tzintzun, its meaning, and the history of the Tzintzun family - as well as the ethnicity of the Tzintzun family - are unknown.  If you have more information about the Tzintzun famiy, please add it to this page.

Name Origin

The word Tzintzuntzan derives from the Purepecha language and
literally translates to "the place of the hummingbird." When you
pronounce the name, Tzintzuntzan, one senses the vibration and sounds
hummingbirds make with their rapid flapping wings: zi-tzun-tzan. The
Purepecha language is unique to Central Mexico. Research identifies
its links to the Quechua language of the Incas of South America. This
is a language that has no immediate relatives in all of Mesoamerica
(Wolf, 1959:44). ìPurepecha," which means commoners, was used by
the Chichimec invaders to set themselves apart from the remainder of
the population.

Spellings & Pronunciations

Variations of the spelling of Tzintzun are Sinsun, Sinzun, Zinzun, or Zinsun.
After the Conquest, the Spaniards labeled the local Indians
"Tarascos" from the native word tarascue, meaning "relatives" or
"in-laws." According to Johnson (1978), it was a term the natives used
mockingly for the Spaniards, who regularly violated their women. But
the Spaniards ignorantly took it up, and the word Tarasco (English:
Tarascan) is commonly used today for the Indians who call themselves
Purepecha (Foster, 2000; Johnson, 1978; Wolf, 1959). According to
INEGI,1
as of 1990 there were 2,209 Tarascans. The name Purepechas
is currently extended to all Tarascans, residents of the modern state of
Michoacan (Wolf, 1959:129).

Nationality & Ethnicity

Tzintzuntzan, is located 57 kms (35miles) from Morelia, Michoacan.
According to the 1990 Mexican General Census of Population, the
general population for the whole TzintzuntzeÒo municipio was 11, 439.
For the cabecera or town of Tzintzuntzan the census showed 2,644
inhabitants.2
The cabecera is comparable to a county seat here in
California. This data, 2,644 inhabitants, accounts only for the town of
Tzintzuntzan and does not include the other 27 small villages within the
municipality of Tzintzuntzan.3

Famous People named Tzintzun

Tzintzuntzan, the Capital of the Purepecha Empire
As previously indicated, in order to better understand the TzintzuntzeÒo
identity; it is important to know and comprehend their historical
antecedents. Comparing with the rest of the Mesoamerican region, the
Western Mexicoís Pre-Columbian record is poorly understood. What is
known archaeologically, indicates that much of this often-arid land was
located outside the developmental currents of Mesoamerica. In the
early Post classic period (900A.D.) the region became a Mesoamerican
frontier and felt the impact of the Toltecs (Tula, Hidalgo). Prior to this
time, Western Mexico's ties appear to have been with southern Central
America, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (Miller, 1986:54-55; Mary
Helms, 1982; Coe, 1982 Rendon Guillen, 1996). In the twelfth
century, Chichimecs invaded the area of Lake Patzcuaro, where
ñTarascan speaking-- farmers and fishermen had settled. Thereafter,
the semi-nomadic Chichimeca- Yanaceo arrived from the Northwest
and fused with the established settlers to form a Chichimec regime.
From its capital in Tzintzuntzan, in the basin of Lake P·tzcuaro, the
dynasty gradually extended and during the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries it conquered portions of the states of Michoacan, Jalisco and
Colima (Wolf, 1959:129; Helms, 1982:91). It is during this period that
the region reached its highest development in terms of population
growth and ceremonial center construction.
Tzintzuntzan was the center of the vast Tarascan Indian Empire, a
power that rivaled the Aztecs. It is important to note that the Aztecs
did not conquer this territory (Townsend, 1992:102; Coe, 1982).
Surroundings peasant villages and towns hundreds of miles away
feared its power. Unfortunately, archeological research gives us few
clues to analyze the socio-economic base of the whole population, the
Indian community that was the great social platform that supported the
ruling class. Archeological studies of this region concentrate on the
ceremonial centers and offer little about the Indian community which
may be of great importance in understanding Tzintzuntzanís
contemporary socio-cultural aspects.

Early Tzintzuns

These are the earliest records we have of the Tzintzun family.