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Mexico has little linguistic diversity; apart from Spanish, the government recognizes 62 indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages. According to the Council for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples (CDI), 13% of the population is of Amerindian origin; nonetheless only 6% of the population speaks an Indigenous language.

Indigenous languages of Mexico
Language	Speakers
Nahuatl (Mexicano, Mexicanero, Nahuat, Nahual, Melatahtol)	1,376,026
Yucatec Maya (Maaya t'aan)	759,000
Mixtec (Tu'un sávi)	423,216
Zapotec (Binizaa)	410,901
Tzeltal Maya (K'op o winik atel)	371,730
Tzotzil Maya (Batsil k'op)	329,937
Otomí (Hñä hñü)	239,850
Totonac (Tachihuiin)	230,930
Mazatec (Ha shuta enima)	206,559
Ch'ol (Mayan) (Winik)	185,299
Huastec (Téenek)	149,532
Chinantec (Tsa jujmí)	125,706
Mixe (Ayüük)	115,824
Mazahua (Jñatho)	111,840
Tarascan (P'urhépechas)	105,556
Tlapanec (Me'phaa)	98,573
Tarahumara (Rarámuri)	75,371
Mayo (Yoreme)	32,702
Amuzgo (Tzañcue)	43,761
Chatino (Cha'cña)	42,791
Tojolab'al (Tojolwinik otik)	43,169
Popoluca (Zoquean) (Tuncápxe)	54,004
Chontal de Tabasco (Yokot t'an)	43,850
Huichol (Wixárika)	35,724
Mayo (Yoreme)	32,702
Tepehuán (O'odham)	31,681
Trique (Tinujéi)	24,491
Cora (Naáyarite)	17,086
Popoloca (Oto-manguean)	18,926
Huave (Ikoods)	15,993
Cuicatec (Nduudu yu)	12,610
Yaqui (Yoreme)	14,162
Q'anjob'al	10,833
Tepehua (Hamasipini)	10,625
Pame (Xigüe)	9,768
Mam (Qyool)	8,739
Chontal de Oaxaca (Slijuala sihanuk)	5,534
Chuj	2,143
Tacuate (Mixtec de Santa María Zacatepec) (Tu'un Va'a)	2,067
Chichimeca jonaz (Úza)	1,987
Guarijío (Makurawe)	1,905
Chocho (Runixa ngiigua)	1,078
Pima Bajo (O'odham)	836
Q'eqchí (Q'eqchí)	835
Lacandón (Hach t'an)	731
Jakaltek (Poptí) (Abxubal)	584
Matlatzinca/Ocuilteco (Tlahuica)	522
Seri (Concaac)	518
Ixcatec	406
K'iche'	286
Kaqchikel	230
Paipai (Akwa'ala)	221
Cucapá (Es péi)	206
Mototzintleco (Qatok)	186
Kumiai (Ti'pai)	185
Pápago (Tohono O'odham)	153
Kikapú (Kikapooa)	144
Ixil	108
Cochimí (Laymón, mti'pá)	96
Kiliwa (Ko'lew)	55
Aguacatec	27
Other languages 1	337
1 Including: Òpata, soltec y papabucan
Only includes population 5 and older. Source: INEGI (2005) [1]

Contents 1 Legislation 1.1 Process of marginalization of the indigenous languages of Mexico 2 Classification 3 Other languages 4 References 5 External links

Spanish is the predominant language of Mexico and de facto official language. Nonetheless, the second article of the constitution defines the country as a pluricultural nation, and recognizes the right of the indigenous peoples to "preserve and enrich their languages..." and promotes "bilingual and intercultural education" [2].

In 2003 the Mexican Congress approved the "General Law of linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples" which recognizes that Spanish and the Indigenous languages of México are "national languages" due to their historical background and "have the same validity in their territory, location and context". This law allows indigenous peoples to present and request official documents in their respective language. The state commits to the preservation and promotion of the use of the national languages through the activities of the "Institute of Indigenous Languages" [3].

With around six million speakers of an indigenous language Mexico has the second largest portion of speakers of Native American languages of the Americas after Peru. However in terms of percentages the population is relatively small compared to countries like Guatemala (42.8%) and Peru (35%), and even Ecuador (9.4%) and Panama (8.3%) [4], and also Paraguay and Bolivia.

Other than the Nahuatl languages no indigenous language of Mexico has more than a million speakers. Nahuatl is among the native American languages with the largest populations along with Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní and some Mayan languages.

A slow process of displacement of the indigenous languages began from the arrival of the Spanish and the Spanish language in Mexico. Although in the beginning of colonization efforts were made by some monks and priests to describe and classify the indigenous languages (in order to facilitate the conversion of those peoples to Christianity), the Catholic Church also served as the first instrument of replacing the indigenous languages with Spanish. Philip II of Spain had decreed in 1570 that Nahuatl should become the official language of the colonies of New Spain in order to facilitate communication between the Spanish and natives of the colonies. However, in 1696 Charles II made a counter decree banning the use of any languages other than Spanish throughout the Spanish Empire. (Cifuentes, 1998). Starting from the 1700s decrees ordering the "hispanization" of the indigenous populations became more numerous, which lead to the colonizers giving up on learning the indigenous languages.

After the independence the liberal governments began undertaking steps towards building an educational system primarily aimed at the hispanization of the native populations. The idea was that this would help the indigenous peoples become a more integrated part of the new Mexican nationality.

Other than during the Second Mexican Empire, lead by Maximilian I of Mexico, no other Mexican government had tried to prevent the loss of the indigenous language during the 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

In 1889, Antonio García Cubas calculated the percentage of indigenous speakers of Mexico to be 38%. This is in contrast with previously recorded figures that calculated 60% in 1820. By the end of the 20th century this had become only 6%.^{[citation needed]}

During the 20th century the policy of the Mexican governments and their officials was to deny any status as valid languages to native tongues. During this time indigenous students were forbidden to speak native languages in their schools and were often punished for doing so.

In 1992 the fourth article of the constitution was amended with the purpose of reinforcing the pluricultural nature of the Mexico by giving the State the obligation of protecting and nurturing the expressions of this diversity. On June 14, 1999, the Council of Writers in Indigenous Languages presented Congress with a document titled "Suggestion of legal initiatives towards linguistic rights of indigenous peoples and communities", with the intent to begin the protection of the indigenous communities' linguistic rights. In December 2002 the Ley General de Derechos Lingüísticos de los Pueblos Indígenas was approved. This law establishes a framework for the conservation, nurturing and development of indigenous languages. This law, however, has been criticised for having complex structure which hinders its actual application (Cuevas, 2004: 13).

Main article: Indigenous languages of the Americas

The following is a classification of the 62 Indigenous languages grouped by family:

Language families with members north of Mexico

• Algonquian languages: Kikapú

• Yuman-Cochimí languages: Paipai, Kiliwa, Cucapá, Cochimi and Kumiai

• Uto-Aztecan languages:
  • Tepiman branch: Pápago, Pima Bajo, Northern and Southern Tepehuán
  • Taracahita branch: tarahumara, Guarijio language, Yaqui and Mayo
  • Corachol branch: Cora and Huichol
  • Nahuan branch: Nahuatl, dialects

Language families with all known members in Mexico

• Totonacan languages:
  • Totonac (different varieties)
  • Tepehua (different varieties)

• Oto-Manguean languages:
  • Oto-pamean branch: Northern Pame, Southern Pame, Chichimeca Jonaz, Otomí, Mazahua, Matlatzinca and Ocuiltec.
  • Popolocan branch: Popoloca language, Chocho, Ixcatec language*, Mazatecan languages
  • Tlapanec-Subtiaban branch: Me'phaa
  • Amuzgoan branch: Amuzgo de Guerrero, Amuzgo de Oaxaca
  • Mixtecan branch: Mixtecan languages, Cuicatec and Trique language.
  • Chatino-Zapoteca family: Chatino (and its dialects), Zapotec languages.
  • Chinantec branch: Chinantec (and its dialects)
  • Chiapaneca-mangue branch: Chiapaneco*

• Mixe-Zoquean languages:
  • Zoque languages
  • Mixe languages
  • Popoluca (Texistepec Popoluca, Sierra Popoluca (Both Zoquean) and Sayula Popoluca Oluta Popoluca (Both Mixean))

Language family with members south of Mexico

• Mayan languages:
  • Huastecan branch: Wastek language,
  • Yucatecan branch: Yukatek Maya, Lacandón,
  • Cholan branch: Ch'ol language, Chontal Maya language, Tzeltal language, Tzotzil language,
  • Qanjobalan-Chujean branch: Chuj language, Tojolabal language, Q'anjob'al language, Jakaltek, Motozintlec, Akatek language
  • Quichean-Mamean branch: Mam language, Tektitek language, Ixil, , K'iche' language, Kaqchikel and Q'eqchi'.

Language isolates:

• Seri language
• Tequistlatecan languages: Lowland Chontal, Highland Chontal
• P'urhépecha
• Huave

*In danger of extinction.

The "pluricultural" composition of Mexico, according to the constitution, has its roots in the indigenous peoples. However, apart from Spanish, the government does not recognize any other non-indigenous language spoken by immigrants and their descendants, even if the number of speakers is greater than that of some of the 62 national languages. Historically, Mexican laws curbed the public usage of foreign languages in mass media (radio and TV), public road signs, business storefronts and advertising billboards. Mexicans found it ironic on the increasing usage and social toleration of Spanish being widely spoken in Mexican-American/Latino communities in the border towns and across the southwest US.

Some of the non-indigenous languages spoken in Mexico are: English (by British, and more recently American immigrants, as well as by the residents of border states), For example, the American Mormon colony of Nueva Casas Grandes of Chihuahua settled in the late 1800s serves as a testimonial to the country's Anglo-Americans who favored living in Mexico. Also German (mainly in Mexico City and Puebla), Arabic, Russian, Venetian (in Chipilo), French, Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian, Chinese, Korean, Ladino, Plautdietsch, Armenian and others in smaller numbers. Of these, Venet and Plautdietsch are spoken in isolated communities or villages, while the rest are spoken by immigrants or their descendants that tend to live in the larger cities and towns.

With respect to other European languages brought by immigrants, the case of Chipilo, in the state of Puebla, is unique, and has been documented by several linguists such as Carolyn McKay. The immigrants that founded the city of Chipilo in 1882 came from the Veneto region in northern Italy, and thus spoke a northern variant of the Venetian dialect. While other European immigrants assimilated into the Mexican culture, the people of Chipilo retained their language. Nowadays, most of the people who live in the city of Chipilo (and many of those who have migrated to other cities) still speak the unaltered Veneto dialect spoken by their great-grandparents making the Veneto dialect an unrecognized minority language in the city of Puebla. In Huatusco and Colonia Gonzalez, Veracruz, Veneto is still heard too.

A similar case is that of the Plautdietsch language, spoken by the descendants of German and Dutch Mennonite immigrants in the states of Chihuahua and Durango. Other German communities lie in Puebla, Mexico City, Sinaloa and Chiapas, with the largest German school outside of Germany being in Mexico City (Alexander von Humboldt school), these represent the large German populations where they still try to preserve the German culture (evident in its popular regional polka-like music types, conjunto and Norteno) and language. Other strong German communities lie in Guadalajara, Sinaloa (Mazatlan), Nuevo Leon, Chiapas (Tapachula) and other parts of Puebla (Nueva Necaxa) where the German culture and language have been preserved to different extents.

French is also heard in the state of Veracruz in the cities of Jicaltepec, San Rafael, Mentideros, and Los Altos, where the architecture and food is also very French. These French immigrants came from Haute-Saône département in France, especially from Champlitte and Borgonge. Another important French group were the "Barcelonettes" from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département, who migrated specifically to Mexico to find jobs and work in merchandising and are well known in Mexico City, Puebla, and Veracruz. Another important French village in Mexico is Santa Rosalía in Baja California Sur, where French language and culture/architecture are still found, and the legacy of settlers brought in during the Napleonic-era French occupation is found in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Scandinavian languages and traditions can also be heard in Chihuahua, such as Swedish and Norwegian in Nueva Escandinavia and other Scandinavian colonies in the north of the country. Russian is heard in the Baja California region of Valle de Guadalupe, thanks to the immigrants from southern Russia who settled these areas. They are the Molokans ("milk eaters"), and they preserve their culture in Baja California, with the architecture in their houses and museums, they produce fine wine (Along with the large Italian community that lives near them) and their language and traditions, as well as dresses and festivities. Other Russians belong to a more recent wave of immigration from mainly Russia, Poland and the Ukraine along other Eastern Europeans (Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Croatia), who settle mainly in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Jalisco.

The wave of Armenians, Lebanese, Syrians and Greeks came to Mexico in the early twentieth century, mainly settled in urban areas in Baja California and Sinaloa, especially Greeks in the city of Culiacan, in proximity to relatives in California, U.S. is one notable migration. The Lebanese have settled in the urban areas such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puebla. Other Asian groups known to introduced their languages and cultures to Mexico are Iranians, East Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Japanese and Vietnamese, the majority live in urban areas or along the US-Mexican border, probably in attempt to enter and reside in the US.

And the fate on the presumably extinct Cornish dialect of Cornwall, England disappeared from Mexico in the state of Hidalgo in the early 20th century, especially in the cities of Pachuca and Real del Monte. But the Cornish culture still survives in the architecture, sports, food and drink, and many aspects (like some residents possessed a "native" fluency of the English language, although the global Cornish community sought to restore their original Celtic language) of these cities in central Mexico. There are large Irish-Mexican populations in Hidalgo and the northern states, and former Mexican president Vicente Fox Quesada himself of half-Irish/German/Spanish/Anglo-American descent, serves as a reminder of the diversity in language, culture and ethnic background of the Mexican people.

• Cifuentes, Bárbara (1998): Letras sobre voces. Multilingüismo a través de la historia. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social - Instituto Nacional Indigenista. Historia de los Pueblos Indígenas de México. México. ISBN 968-496-338-6
• Cuevas, Susana (2004): Ley de Derechos Lingüísticos en México. En http://www.linguapax.org/congres04/pdf/4_cuevas.pdf. Accessed in August 2006.
• The corresponding article (Lenguas de México) on the Spanish Wikipedia (revision as of August 11, 2006).

• CDI
• "¿Qué lengua hablas?", a portal that contains multimedia files of phrases spoken in some of the national Indigenous languages.