The State of the Mexican Republic with the most indigenous languages is Oaxaca, followed by Yucatán, Chiapas and Quintana Roo. The Republic of Mexico is a country recognized worldwide for its multicultural and multilingual character, due to the presence of a large number of native populations that constantly fight for the preservation of their heritage, through the continuous practice of their indigenous languages.
According to official figures, Mexico is the second country with the highest number of living mother tongues spoken within a country, in regards to Latin America.
The importance of indigenous peoples is invaluable, given the diversity of history, languages and traditions. The culture of indigenous peoples is neither homogeneous nor static, and the historical value of their customs and traditions must be safeguarded at all costs.
According to the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), in the Republic of Mexico there are currently: 11 linguistic families, 68 linguistic groups and 364 linguistic variants.
These cultural representations are present in almost all the municipalities of the federative entities of the national territory.
However, the States of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Puebla, Hidalgo, Mexico, Yucatán and Veracruz concentrate 77% of the total indigenous population in Mexico.
Among the aforementioned regions, the State of Oaxaca leads the way. The State of Oaxaca is the fifth largest state in the United Mexican States, with 93,757 km².
In addition, it has 3,967,889 inhabitants, according to the 2015 population census, which makes it the ninth most populous state in the country. It includes to its credit a rich multicultural composition, since the Political Constitution of Oaxaca recognizes the existence of fifteen indigenous peoples with their own cultures.
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, it is the state with the largest population of indigenous language practitioners in the entire country.
In the current Oaxacan territory, 27% of the Mexican ethnic groups are concentrated, among which are the following: Chontales of Oaxaca, Nahuatlecos, Mixtecos, Triquis, Ixcatecos, Zapotecos, Chatinos, Popolucas, Chocholtecos, Mixes, Chinantecos, Mazatecos, Huaves, Amuzgos, Zoques, Nahuas, Cuicatecos, Chochos, Tacuates, Afromestizos from the Costa Chica and Tzotziles.
All of them exceed one million inhabitants, distributed in more than 2,500 localities.
The foregoing makes Oaxaca the Mexican State with the greatest linguistic diversity. Spanish predominates among the languages spoken in the state, followed by Mixtec and Zapotec.
In general, the people of Oaxaca are characterized by being bilingual in their daily lives, and even artistic manifestations such as theater and poetry recitals are performed in both Spanish and native languages, with equal fluency.
Indigenous languages largely constitute the Mexican cultural heritage. Behind each of the indigenous representatives there is a universal heritage that transmits the history of their ancestors: their culture, their beliefs, their way of conceiving life and building the future.
Guaranteeing the permanence of these cultural values in society is essential to preserve the Mexican idiosyncrasy and the historical roots of its native inhabitants.
References
- Tell me (2011). Mexico state. Mexico, Mexico. Recovered from Cuentame.inegi.org.mx
- National Institute of Indigenous Languages (2010). Program for the Revitalization, Strengthening and Development of National Indigenous Languages 2008-2012, PINALI. Mexico, Mexico. Recovered from site.inali.gob.mx
- Suárez, Claudia, (2005). Demographic situation of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Santiago de Chile, Chile. Recovered from cepal.org
- Téllez, Y., Guzmán L., Velázquez M., López, J. (2013). Indigenous presence, marginalization and condition of geographical location. Mexico, Mexico. Recovered from conapo.gob.mx
- Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (2017). Oaxaca, Mexico DF, Mexico. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org.