Off Topic: Cochineal
Brook Klehm (Sat, 13 Aug 2005 12:32:41 PDT)

Am I splitting hairs?

Cochineal was not exploited by the Aztecs, but by the Mixtecs. In
fact, the Mixtecs were never subjugated by the Aztecs, instead, they
entered into a commercial relationship with the Aztecs. They were
able to keep their noble class and social structures, probably due to
the power they derived from the cochineal trade. The Mixtecs were
barely subjugated by the Spanish when they arrived. The Oaxacan
highlands were conquered much later than the central highlands of
Mexico. Once again, the Mixtecs continued their cochineal trade and
maintained their social structures (the nobles became caciques --
indigenous strongmen) even after being conquered. It was only after
the loss of the secret of cochineal production and the loss of their
topsoil due to growing maize that the Mixtecs finally floundered.
Now, the middle elevations of the Mixtec region of Oaxaca are
completely stripped of soil and are landscapes of eroded gullies of
richly colored, barren, mineral subsoils. The people who inhabit the
area are frighteningly impoverished.

On a further tangent, the British redcoats who enforced the King's
wishes prior to the US revolution wore coats dyed red with...
cochineal.

Too much information? If so, please forgive me.

Brook Klehm