Index page: Mexico’s indigenous peoples

As the site continues to grow, in content and readership, we are adding the occasional index page to help new readers find articles of interest. According to the 2010 census, 6,000,000 Mexicans over the age of five speak at least one indigenous language. Another 3,000,000 Mexicans consider themselves indigenous but no longer speak any indigenous language.

General

• The geography of languages in Mexico: Spanish and 62 indigenous languages
• Is the number of speakers of indigenous languages in Mexico increasing?
• An overview of Mexico’s indigenous peoples
• Relying on geography for orientation: some indigenous languages do not have words for “left” or “right”
• Mexico’s indigenous place names
• Mexican place names often have their roots in pre-Hispanic languages and have multiple levels of meaning
• Only two native speakers remain of Ayapaneco, an indigenous language in Tabasco
• Study finds indigenous Mexicans far more diverse than previously thought
• Musical instruments in Mexico: indigenous and introduced
• Baseball is not the oldest ballgame in the Americas
• The origins of street markets (tianguis) in Oaxaca, Mexico
• The Guelaguetza, the major cultural festival of Oaxaca state
• Oaxaca is the most culturally diverse state in Mexico 

Specific groups

Maya

• The geography of the Maya: does central place theory apply to ancient Maya settlements?
• Organic farming helps the Mam of Chiapas regain their cultural identity (Apr 2010)
• Resistance to government-sponsored change in Chiapas, Mexico (Oct 2010)
• Chiapas: carbon capture program or indigenous people? (Aug 2011)
• Video documentation of the Lacondon Indians in Chiapas (Jan 2015)
• Musical instruments in Mexico: indigenous and introduced (Marimba in Chiapas) (Oct 2014)

Aztec / Mexica

• Mexcaltitán, a magical island town in Nayarit (possible home of the Mexica people)
• Attempts to provide drainage for Mexico City date back to Aztec times
• The Codex Mendoza, a key resource about Aztec times, can now be viewed online
• The Aztecs knew their geography!
• How did the Aztecs get their food? Sustainable farming in Aztec times
• Resources about chinampas, an ancient form of sustainable agriculture
• Are Aztec chinampas a good model for food production and agro-development?

Tohono O’odham

• Cross-border tribe faces a tough future

Huichol

• The sacred geography of Mexico’s Huichol Indians
• The geography of the Huichol Indians: the regional setting
• The geography of the Huichol Indians: traditional lifestyles and settlements
• The geography of the Huichol Indians: cultural change
• The Huichol (Wixárika) People’s fight against multinational mining companies
• “Huichol Women, Weavers, and Shamans” by Stacy B. Schaefer

Tarahumara

• The settlement patterns of the Tarahumara in Mexico’s Copper Canyon region
• Tarahumara agriculture in the Copper Canyon region
• Case study of a Tarahumara garden
• The diet and tesgüinadas of the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyon region of Mexico
• Threats to the traditional Tarahumara way of life, part one
• Threats to the traditional Tarahumara way of life, part two
• Foreign runners help preserve an ancient Tarahumara tradition

Other Geo-Mexico index pages:

• Migration and remittances: an index page (9 June 2016)
• The geography of Mexico City: index page (2 April 2015)
• 30 top geotourism sites in Mexico (Geo-Mexico special) (May 2015)
• The geography of Mexican farming, agriculture and food production: index page (22 June 2015)
• The geography of Chiapas (20 Aug 2015)
• Tourism index page (28 Sep 2015)
• Maps of Mexico on geo-mexico.com (29 Nov 2015)
• The geography of Mexico’s drug trade: an index page (18 Jun 2015)