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DID YOU KNOW?
FACTS & FICTION WITH A MEXICAN TWIST
DECEMBER 2007Did you know that...
...Oaxaca is the most culturally diverse state in Mexico? By Tony Burton Copyright © 2007
The inter-census population count in Mexico in 2005 found that more than one million people in Oaxaca spoke at least one indigenous Indian language. Close behind came the state of Chiapas with about 950,000 indigenous language speakers. A previous Did You Know column looked at how the Mam people of Chiapas have reinvented themselves in recent times. This month's column takes a look at the colorful cultural diversity of Oaxaca.
Most of Mexico's indigenous population lives in small, isolated rural localities with under 500 inhabitants. These communities are very disadvantaged compared with other Mexican communities. About one-third of the nation's 2442 municipalities are indigenous. However, almost half of all the municipalities defined by the National Statistics Institute (INEGI) as "highly marginalized" are indigenous, as are a whopping 82% of the "very highly marginalized" municipalities.
The incidence of extreme poverty is much higher in indigenous municipalities than in non-indigenous municipalities. For example, in 2002, the rate was 4.5 times higher. Indigenous villages are among the nation's poorest rural communities. Indigenous language speakers trail behind other Mexicans in virtually every socioeconomic indicator. About 33% are illiterate, compared to the national rate of only 9.5%. Most leave school prematurely to help their families earn a living.
Mexico's major indigenous groups (Interactive map) 
The distribution of the major indigenous groups is shown on the interactive map. (Clicking on the name of each group will take you to an article or index page about that group).In Oaxaca, according to the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, more than 1.5 million people live in a home where at least one of the residents either speaks an indigenous language or considers themselves indigenous (even if they do not speak an indigenous language). This is 50% more people than are found in the same category in Chiapas.
Not only does Oaxaca have more indigenous people, it also has a much greater linguistic and cultural diversity than Chiapas or any other state in Mexico.
Oaxaca's one million indigenous speakers represent 35% of the state's total population. The largest indigenous linguistic groups in the state include about 350,000 Zapotec, 230,000 Mixtec, 165,000 Mazatec, 100,000 Chinantec, 100,000 Mixe, and 40,000 Chatino. For some further perspectives on the different indigenous peoples of Oaxaca, see The Indigenous People of Oaxaca, John P. Schmal's excellent essay on this site.
Indigenous groups in Oaxaca (Interactive map) Almost 90% of Zapotec speakers also speak Spanish, which considerably enhances their education and employment opportunities. On the other hand, 23% of Mixtecs do not speak Spanish, and hence face a tougher challenge in the workplace. Tens of thousands of Mixtecs have migrated away from Oaxaca looking for work.The map shows the regions where the main indigenous groups in Oaxaca reside. One of the reasons for Oaxaca having retained such an extraordinary diversity of Indian groups is...
To read the complete article, with another interactive map . . .
Acknowledgements / Sources:
INEGI Conteo Nacional de Población 2005.
Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas, 2006.
John P. Schmal. The Indigenous People of Oaxaca.Mexico Connect.
With grateful thanks to Dr. Richard Rhoda for having suggested the source for some of the statistics used in this article.
Did You Know Index
Maps and Text © Copyright 2007 by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.
- - - Sombrero Books Page
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