The Zinacanteco universe is based around a quadrilateral cosmos. There is a center of their above world called the "navel" which is a mound of earth in the Zinacantan ceremonial center. The entire world is extended from this navel. The four points that surround this center indicate the Vashak-Men or the "Four-Corner Gods". The significance of these gods and their connection with nature is proven when they see natural disasters as a theory of population control or as punishment for sins. An earthquake is experienced when the gods are tired and they are shifting the excessive burden from shoulder to shoulder, the earthquake is thought to kill enough people to balance out the burden.

Since the Spanish Conquest the Zinacantecos have Saints who are represented in their churches in the form of wooden or plaster images, or wooden crosses. Their attire is basically colonial style with some Zinacanteco additions. Each Saint has a mythological story about how they earned their title. The Zinacanteco people view the Catholic Mass as "an elaborate prayer for the saint whose fiesta is being celebrated"(23). Saints are gods with great power, and they believe a saint "is a very human person who likes nice things"(23). This is the reason behind them requesting a mass for every Saint in fear of being punished for not offering a prayer to tribute them. If they fulfill their jobs then whatever is decided by the Catholic priest is completely off of their shoulders. The saints and the gods are regarded in much of the same way and the rituals and offerings are similar.

The next important deity is the Earth Owner. The Zinacanteco people cannot use any part of the earth or any product of nature without an offering ceremony to the earth owner. Any place in the earth that has an opening or ch'en is a way of communicating with the Earth Owner. The earth owner also controls the lightening, thunder, and the clouds from which the rain comes from to make the earth grow.

Within the hamlets, the social structure in Zincantan is composed of several units. The largest unit is the municipo, within the municipo there are units referred to as waterholes, and localized patrilineages called sna, down to the basic domestic group.

, they also believe in an upper and lower world. The upper world is the surface upon which humans live. The lower world consists of monkeys and dwarfs that evolved when the gods failed at making humans the first time around. The K'atin-Bak translates as the "place warmed by bones", this corresponds to the Christian hell as it is a deep hole somewhere inside the earth. The Sun is referred to as "Our Father Heat". Its path determines the basic directions that guide the Zinacantecos orientation on the surface of the earth. The "place where the sun rises" or in translation the east is the most important because they direct all of their religious ceremonies and rituals in this direction. Venus was coined the "Sweeper of the Path" because it appears before the sun as the morning star. The moon is "Our Holy Mother" and the stars are the light of night like candles that light the sky when the sun is passing by the Lower World and making the oceans boil so the dwarves must wear mud hats to protect themselves.

A typical day in the domestic group starts before dawn. The women begin making the tortillas for their husbands and sons. The men rise out of bed before sunrise but do not begin their hard work until after breakfast. The men sit around in a semi-circle of tiny chairs at around seven or eight in the morning while the women serve them. Once the men have left for work they eat their meals sitting on the floor around the fire. The women spend their morning washing clothes or weaving while tending to the sheep. The men care for their political duties and or do their farming. They all return home for lunch at noontime. Throughout the afternoon the women have a more leisure day socializing, weaving, and watching the children play. The men continue cultivating and working hard. At sun down they eat again, and they all retire at around eight in the evening.

The concept of bankilal and 'its'inal' or older brother younger brother is essential as well within Zinacanteco life. It does not refer only to humans, but geography, symbols, religious figures, etc. Interestingly, this applies to the nativity scene in Christmas because there are two babies with Joseph and Mary, bankilal and 'its'inal'.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4137
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page double spaced)