Otomi language (Jalisco)
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Otomi is an extinct, unclassified Mesoamerican language formerly spoken in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.
It is uncertain if the Otomi language of Jalisco is related to the Otomi language spoken elsewhere in Mexico, or if it is an unrelated language with the same name.[1][2] One possible explanation is that Otomi allies of the Spanish, hailing from central Mexico, were settled here as a buffer against the Chichimeca.[3]
Otomi was spoken in the province of Amula, in the communities of Cuzalapa (now in the municipality of Cuautitlán de García Barragán), Tuxcacuesco, and Zapotitlán de Vadillo.[4][5] Nahuatl was also spoken in these communities.[5]
People known as "Otomíes" are historically attested in parts of what is now the state of Nayarit, particularly around Ahuacatlán and Xalisco. However, Peter Gerhard suggests that this was another name for the Tecuales, who spoke a language closely related to Huichol.[6]
Sources
The use of the Otomi language was described in a relación geográfica made in 1579 by Francisco de Agüero, alcalde mayor of the province of Amula.[7] The relación also mentions an Otomi name, Ercape, said to mean "a flea that itches greatly".[8]
The language is also mentioned, though not named, by Antonio de Ciudad Real, who visited Tuxcacuesco and Zapotitlán with Alonso Ponce in 1587. He called it "a unique language" (Spanish: una lengua particular).[9]