The Chiapanec people probably arrived in the Central Depression of Chiapas between the ninth and tenth centuries, taking over the previously
Zoque city of
Chiapa for which they are named. Oral tradition recorded by Spanish conquerors indicated that they had come from the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, splitting off from their
Mangue relatives when the
Nicarao people invaded the region. Chiapa became one of the most significant urban centers in what is now Chiapas, and was the capital of a state that came to control most of the Central Depression during the postclassic period. The Chiapanec people generally had bad relations with neighboring Zoque,
Tzotzil,
Tzeltal and Cabil communities, possibly owing to conflict over the trade route to
Tehuantepec. Besides Chiapa, other Chiapanec settlements included
Acala,
Suchiapa,
Chiapilla,
Villaflores and
Villa Corzo, and likely
Venustiano Carranza and
Totolapa. Judging from a 1656 document,
Huixtla spoke a language similar to Chiapanec. == Phonology ==