Mayas at San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

Mexico has defined itself, in the second article of its constitution, as a "pluricultural" nation, in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it. There are, according to the Consejo Nacional de Población (CONAPO), the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática, and the Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CDI) 12 million of Amerindians (or "indigenous peoples", the preferred term in Spanish). Other international organizations prefer a percentage of 30% of predominantly indigenous, the great majority of which have been assimiliated into the Mexican culture, forgetting their traditions and languages. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x864, 419 KB) Photographer: Anna Maj Michelson from Portland, Estados Unidos Title: DSC02301 Taken on: 2004-07-27 15:13:56 File links The following pages link to this file: Mexico ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x864, 419 KB) Photographer: Anna Maj Michelson from Portland, Estados Unidos Title: DSC02301 Taken on: 2004-07-27 15:13:56 File links The following pages link to this file: Mexico ... Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. ...

Unlike other Latin American countries, in which the indigenous peoples are made up by a predominant group (countries in which one Amerindian language is predominant or even co-official with Spanish), in Mexico there are 62 indigenous peoples, that speak 62 different languages (officially recognized as "national languages" along with Spanish by the Mexican government), and many more dialects. According to INEGI, 6% of the population (that is, half of the indigenous peoples) still speak an indigenous language, of which Nahuatl and Yucatec Maya are the most important in terms of number of speakers. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. ... Mexico has a surprising lingusitic diversity; apart from Spanish, the government recognizes 62 Indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages. ... The National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Data Processing (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI)) is a unit of the government of Mexico dedicated to the collection and organization of statistical, geographical and economic information on the country. ... Nahuatl is a native language of central Mexico. ... Yucatec Maya is a Maya language spoken in the Yucatan Peninsula, northern Belize and parts of Guatemala. ...

Historically, some states of the Mexican federation have identified themselves with one or more of the diverse indigenous peoples that lived in their territories, even if nowadays they constitute only a small percentage of their populations; for example: Tlaxcala, with the Tlaxcaltec indigenous group, Yucatan with the Maya, Chihuahua with the Tarahumara, etc. Tlaxcala is the name of both a state of Mexico and of that states capital city. ... Tlaxcaltec leader speaking to conquistador as depicted in History of Tlaxcala by Diego Muñoz Camargo, published in 1590 The Tlaxcaltecs or Tlacullos were an indigenous group of the Nahuatl culture that inhabited the area in Meso-America that approximates the territory currently known as the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico. ... The Yucatán Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Maya people are a Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. ... For other uses, see Chihuahua (disambiguation). ... The Tarahumara are a Native American people of northern Mexico, renowned for their long-distance running ability. ...

Political status of the indigenous peoples

History of the ethnic diversity

The ethnic diversity of the indigenous peoples of Mexico goes back to pre-Hispanic times. While the northern territories of the country (north of San Luis Potosí, taking the Tropic of Cancer as an artificial border), was scarcely populated by nomadic tribes, the center-southern territories constituted Mesoamerica, a region in which several complex and advanced civilizations developed through the centuries. This region was densely populated by diverse indigenous groups. The Mexican state of San Luis Potosí has an area of 62,848 km² (24,266 mi²). It is in the north-central part of the Mexican republic, bordered by the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Zacatecas. ... World map showing the Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer (cancer is Latin for crab), or Northern tropic is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... The cultural areas of Mesoamerica Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Spanish: Mesoamérica) was a geographical culture area extending from central Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica on the south, and, in Mexico, from the Soto la Marina River in Tamaulipas and the Rio Fuerte in Sinaloa on the north. ...

By the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, the region was politcially and economically united by the Aztec Empire (the south-east had some sorts of self-government, but the population paid tribute to the Aztecs). Evidence has been found on the existence of multi-racial communities in the majority of the great pre-Hispanic cities, when their respective civilizations were at their zenith (in Tenochtitlan, Teotihuacan and Cholula, for example). The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries who built an extensive empire in the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. ... Tenochtitlan, looking east. ... Teotihuacan was the largest Pre-Columbian known city in the Americas, and the name Teotihuacan is used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included most of Mesoamerica. ... The Roman Catholic church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios overlooks the town of Cholula from atop the Great Pyramid. ...

During the conquest of Mexico, the conquistadors used the ethnic diversity of the country for their benefit, making important alliances with the indigenous peoples that were under Aztec rule. These alliances were decisive to their victory; however, these ethnic groups were soon subjugated into an even more oppressive empire. Wars, extermination, and pandemics killed 90% of the original population; in 1521, the population of central Mexico had been estimated to be around 18 million; by 1581 it was less than 2 million. The indigenous peoples were oppressed and marginated during Spanish colonial times.

Pluricultural Mexico

As an independent nation, Mexico declared the abolition of slavery (the majority of the slaves had been Amerindians), but the economic and social situation of the indigenous peoples changed very little during the 19th century. Nonetheless, some Amerindians integrated into the Mexican society, like Benito Juárez of Zapotec ethnicity, the first indigenous president of a country of the New World. Benito Pablo Juárez García () (March 21, 1806 – July 18, 1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian who served five terms [1] (1858–1861), (1861–1865), (1865–1867), (1867–1871), and (1871–1872), as President of Mexico. ... The Zapotecs are an indigenous people of Mexico, concentrated in the state of Oaxaca but also with communities spread into some of the neighbouring states. ...

The greatest change, however, came about as a result of the Mexican Revolution, a violent social and cultural movement that defined the Mexico of the 20th century. The constitution that originated from the movement, in 1917, was the first in the world to recognize individual social rights, including the rights of the indigenous population. The Revolution also produced a national sentiment in which the indigenous peoples were the foundation of the Mexican Society. Several prominent artists promoted the Indigenous Sentiment (sentimiento indigenista) of the country, like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The governments that ensued the Revolution created the concept of the "ejido", giving free land to peasants (the majority of which were indigenous) and established bilingual education in some indigenous communities as well as the publication of free bilingual textbooks. This article is about the Mexican Revolution of 1910. ... Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter who depicted the indigenous culture of her country in a style combining Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism. ... Diego Rivera (December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), (full name Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez) was a Mexican painter and muralist born in Guanajuato City, Guanajuato. ...

Contemporary situation

In spite of the official recognition of the indigenous peoples, the economic underdevelopment of the communities, accentuated by the crises of the 1980s and 1990s, have not allowed for the social and cultural development of the communities. Thousands of Indigenous Mexicans have emigrated to the big cities (mainly to Mexico City and the border cities) as well as to the United States. In Los Angeles, for example, the Mexican government has established access in Spanish and Amerindian languages to some of the consular services provided. Nickname: Ciudad de los Palacios Location of Mexico City in central Mexico Coordinates: Country Mexico Federal entity Federal District Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded (as Tenochtitlan) c. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Some of the Maya peoples of Chiapas have revolted, demanding better social and economic opportunities, requests voiced by the EZLN. In other states, the situation may be somewhat different. In Yucatán, for example, residents have found a regional and cultural identity as Mayas, including the modern city of Mérida. Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. ... The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) is an armed revolutionary group based in Chiapas, one of the poorest states of Mexico. ... Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Cathedral on the Plaza Mayor, the oldest in North America [1]. Mérida is the capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán. ...

The government has made important legislative changes, to promote the development of the rural and indigenous communities, and the preservation and promotion of their languages. The second article of the Constitution grants them the right of self-determination and requests the state governments to promote and ensure the economic development of the indigenous communities as well as the preservation of their languages and traditions. The government also sponsors several radio programs in indigenous languages (some of which can be heard over the internet at the CDI official webpage). In 2003, the "Federal Law of Linguistic Rights" was approved, which created the Institute of Indigenous Languages. This law considers Spanish and the indigenous languages to be "national languages" with the "same validity".

Demographics

Map showing the areas where the different indigenous languages of Mexico are spoken. (Perry Castañeda map collection)

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 593 pixel Image in higher resolution (2025 × 1500 pixel, file size: 319 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Public domain map from the Perry castañeda collection. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 593 pixel Image in higher resolution (2025 × 1500 pixel, file size: 319 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Public domain map from the Perry castañeda collection. ...

Indigenous peoples as a percentage of the population

Officially, 12 million Mexicans were indigenous in 2000 (13% of the population), though only 6% speak their original language. The states with the greatest proportion of indigenous population are: 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Yucatán, 59%
• Oaxaca, 48%
• Quintana Roo, 39%
• Chiapas, 28%
• Campeche, 27%
• Hidalgo, 24%
• Puebla, 19%
• Guerrero, 17%
• San Luis Potosí, 15%
• Veracruz, 15%

Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Catedral de Santo Domingo The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca or simply Oaxaca   is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the southern part of Mexico, west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. ... Quintana Roo is a state of Mexico, on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. ... The State of Campeche was long a part of Yucatán and shared its history through the mid 19th century. ... Hidalgo is a state in central Mexico, with an area of 20,502 km². In 2000 the state had a population of some 2,231,000 people. ... The Mexican state of Puebla is located in the center of the country, to the east of Mexico City. ... Guerrero is a state in the United Mexican States. ... The Mexican state of San Luis Potosí has an area of 62,848 km² (24,266 mi²). It is in the north-central part of the Mexican republic, bordered by the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Zacatecas. ... The state of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states that compose Mexico (does not include the Mexican Federal District). ...

Classification

Even though CDI does not consider language as the basis to define ethnicity (in fact, half of those defined to be indigenous no longer speak their indigenous language), it does consider language as the basis to categorize the diverse indigenous peoples of the country. The following is the categorization of the indigenous languages and peoples of Mexico:

• Algonquian family: Kikapú
• Yuman: Paipai, Kiliwa, Cocopa, Cochimí, and Kumeyaay
• Seri family: Seri
• Tequistlatecan: Chontals of the Coast, Chontals of the Heights (mountains)
• Tepiman group: Pápago, Pima, Northern Tepehuán and Southern Tepehuán
• Taracahitan group: Tarahumara, Guarijío, Yaqui and Mayo
• Corachol group: Cora and Huichol
• Nahua group: Nahuatl language and its dialects
• Totonacan group: Totonac and Tepehua
• Otopame group: Northern Pame, Southern Pame, Chichimeca Jonaz, Otomí (and its dialects), Mazahua, Matlatzinca and Ocuilteco.
• Popoloca group: Popoloca (and its dialects), Chocho, Ixcatec, Mazatec (and its dialects),
• Tlapaneco group: Tlapanec
• Amuzgo group: Amuzgo de Guerrero, Amuzgo de Oaxaca
• Mixtec group: Mixtec (and its dialects), Cuicatec and Trique (and its dialects)
• Chatino-Zapotec group: Chatino (and its dialects), Zapotec.
• Chinanteca group: Chinantec (and its dialects)
• Purépecha group: P'urhépecha
• Huave group: Huave
• Mixe-Zoque group: Zoque (and its dialects), Popoluca, Mixe
• Maya group: Wastek language, Peninsular Maya, Lacandón, Ch'ol, Chontal de Tabasco, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Chuj, Tojolabal, Q'anjob'al mam, K'iche'.

For the Tenacious D song, see Kickapoo. ... The Paipai (Pai pai, Paipai, Akwaala, Yakakwal) are an aboriginal people of northern Baja California, Mexico. ... The Kiliwa are an aboriginal people of northern Baja California, Mexico. ... Cocopa is a Native American tribe which emigated from Baja California and settled on the lower reaches of the Colorado River. ... The Cochimí were the aboriginal inhabitants of the central part of the Baja California peninsula, from El Rosario in the north to San Javier in the south. ... The Kumeyaay, also known as the Diegueño and sometimes confused with the Luiseño, are a Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. ... SERI is an abbreviation of Samsung Economic Research Institute in South Korea. ... The Tequistlatecan language group also called Chontal of Oaxaca consists of three distinct languages. ... The Tohono Oodham are a Native American tribe formerly known as the Papago who reside primarily in the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico. ... The Akimel Oodham or Pima are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona (USA) and Sonora (Mexico). ... The Tepehuán (Tepehuanes or Tepehuanos) are an indigenous ethnic group in northwest Mexico, whose villages at the time of Spanish conquest spanned a large territory along the Sierra Madre Occidental from Chihuahua and Durango in the north to Jalisco in the south. ... The Tarahumara are a Native American people of northern Mexico, renowned for their long-distance running ability. ... The Yoeme or Yaqui are a border Native American people who live in the Sonoran Desert region, comprising part of the northern Mexican state of Sonora and the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona. ... approximation of the extension of the Mayo habitat The Mayo are a mexican indigenous people living in the mexican state of Sonora and Sinaloa, originally living by the Rio Mayo in Sonora. ... approximation of the extension of the Cora habitat The Cora are an indigenous ethnic group of Western Central Mexico that live in the Sierra de Nayarit and in La Mesa de Nayar in the mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit. ... The Huichol are an indigenous ethnic group of Western Central Mexico that live in the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco. ... The Nahua are a group of indigenous peoples of Mexico. ... Nahuatl ( [1] is a term applied to a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan [2] branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, indigenous to central Mexico. ... Nahuatl dialects and and dialect groupings The Uto Aztecan Nahuatl language can be grouped into two rough dialect continua, labelled the central and the peripheral dialects. ... The Totonacan Languages are a family of closely-related languages spoken by approximately 200,000 speakers in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo in Mexico. ... The Totonac people resided in the eastern coastal and mountainous regions of Mexico at the time of the Spanish arrival in 1519. ... The Pames are an indigenous people of central Mexico living in the state of San Luis Potosí. They call themselves Xiúi. ... The Pames are an indigenous people of central Mexico living in the state of San Luis Potosí. They call themselves Xiúi. ... The Chichimeca Jonaz are a group of indigenous Mexicans living in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí. In Guanajuato State the Chichimeca Jonaz people live in a community of San Luis de la Paz municipality. ... The Otomi language is an indigenous language of Mexico, spoken across a number of central Mexican states by the ethnic group widely known as the Otomi but who refer to themselves as Hñähñu (or similar, depending on the language variant). ... Mazahua is an ethnic group living in the Ixtlahuaca District in Mexico. ... Matlatzinca is a name used to refer to different indigenous ethnic groups in the Toluca Valley in the state of Edo. ... Popoloca is the name of an indigenous Mexican language of the Popolocan branch of the Oto-Manguean linguistic family (Which should not be confused with the Mexican languages called Popoluca). ... Chochotec (also Chocho, Chochoteco, Chocholteca, or Ngigua) is a language of the popolocan branch of the Oto-Manguean linguistic family spoken in Mexico in the following communities of Oaxaca: Nochixtlán District, Santa María Nativitas, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca , San Martín Toxpalán San Miguel Tulancingo. ... Ixcatec is a language spoken by the people of the Mexican village of Santa María Ixcatlán, in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca. ... Image:Wassonsalviaphoto1. ... Tlapanec is a Mexican indigenous language spoken by around 75,000 Tlapanec people in the states of Guerrero and Morelos. ... Amuzgo is an Oto-Manguean language spoken in eastern Guerrero and western Oaxaca in Mexico. ... Map showing Mexican indigenous languages with more than 100. ... The Cuicatecs are an indigenous group of Oaxaca, Mexico closely related to the Mixtecs. ... The Trique or Triqui are an indigenous people of western Oaxaca, Mexico, centered in the Municipios Juxtlahuaca and Putla. ... The Zapotecan languages are a group of closely-related Oto-Manguean languages which descend from the common proto-Zapotecan language spoken by the Zapotec people during the era of the dominance of Monte Alban. ... Chatino children. ... The Zapotec languages are a family of languages spoken by the Zapotec. ... Chinantec is a tribe that lives in Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. ... Tarascan men reeling cord for nets & making nets, 1899. ... Huave (also spelled Wabe) is a language isolate spoken by the indigenous Huave people on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. ... The Zoque languages are languages of the Zoquean branch of the Mixe-Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico. ... Popoluca or Popoloca is a name applied to some indigenous languages of Mexico, the term is however confusing because it used for severeal different unrelated languages. ... The Mixe region within the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico The Mixe languages are languages of the Mixean branch of the Mixe-Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico. ... The Wastek or Huastec language is a Mexican maya language spoken by the Huastecs living in rural areas of San Luis Potosí and northern Vera Cruz. ... Yukatek Maya (in the revised orthography of the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala, now preferred by scholars; also frequently Yucatec) is a Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula, northern Belize and parts of Guatemala. ... The Lacandon people are one of the indigenous Native American Maya peoples, who live mostly in the jungles of the Mexican state of Chiapas. ... Chol (or Chol)is a Mayan language used by the Chol ethnic group in the Mexican state of Chiapas. ... For the group of Hokan languages spoken in Oaxaca, please see Chontal languages. ... Tzeltal is a Maya language spoken in Chiapas, Mexico. ... The Tzotzil Maya of the central highlands of Chiapas, Mexico are a Native American group, the direct descendants of the Classic Maya. ... Chuj might refer to: A common, very obscene expletive in several slavic languages literally meaning penis. ... Tojolabal is a Mayan language related to the Chuj language spoken in Guatemala. ... The Mam are a Native American people of the highlands of western Guatemala. ... The Kiche (or Quiché in Spanish spelling), are a Native American people, one of the Maya ethnic groups. ...

External links

• (Spanish) CDI
• (Spanish) Former National Indigenous Institute
• (Spanish) CONAPO
• (Spanish) INEGI