A.) Please read John P. Schmal, “Linguistic Diversity of Mexico” www.houstonculture.org/mexico/ling.html. You'll find that he gives an overview of the percentages of the indigenous populations and indigenous language speakers in contemporary Mexico, then a broad survey of the specific indigenous groups and languages according to region. 

1.) What's your gut reaction to this reading? 

2.) What percentage of the Mexican population identifies as indigenous and in what regions of Mexico are they located? How many indigenous languages are still spoken in Mexcio? What percentage of the Mexican population speaks an indigenous language and where are they concentrated? (see a map of Mexico, so you know where they are. There's one on the same website as the reading.) 

3.) Choose 2 indigenous groups and name the language they speak, what state they are located in and describe the location of the state within the country (ie. southern Mexico on the Pacific coast) and any other identifying characteristics of this group. If your family is from a state where the author discusses an indigenous group, write about one of those groups! 

 

B.) Read John P. Schmal's other article “Uto-Aztecan Language” that you can click on in the orange box on the same page as the previous reading or go to www.houstonculture.org/mexico/aztec.html. Write a gut reaction to this reading.