Seasonality of Births in a Rural Zapotec Municipio, 1945-1970

Document Type

Article

Authors

Robert M. Malina, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
John H. Himes, University of Texas, Austin, Texas

Abstract

The monthly distribution of live births were analyzed over a 26-year period, 1945-1970, for a rural Zapotec-speaking community in Oaxaca, Mexico. Monthly distributions of births deviated from that which would be expected by chance (p < 001). High monthly percentages of births coincided closely with the rainy season in the Oaxaca Valley, so that the number of births during the rainy season exceeded the expected, while the number of births during the dry season were less than expected (p < .(X) 1). Ethnographic observations for Zapotec communities suggest that the seasonal distribution of births may reflect the cultural pattern associated with the annual agricultural cycle.

Recommended Citation

Malina, Robert M. and Himes, John H. (1977) "Seasonality of Births in a Rural Zapotec Municipio, 1945-1970," Human Biology: Vol. 49: Iss. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol49/iss2/5