Research Articles

The need for capacity building in Mexico: Misión de Chichimecas, a case study

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Abstract

Some old projects formed the basis for the new law called General Law on Linguistic Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was finally passed after much discussion and became official on March 13, 2003 (Diario de Campo, 2003). It is too early to tell whether the actual linguistic situation in Mexico will improve or not with the new legislation. For the moment, as an example of the present-day situation, let us take a look at one small community located in the state of Guanajuato where Chichimeco Jonaz is spoken. The local government began showing interest in preserving the language around 1995, when a book of Chichimec narratives written by children who had had no previous experience in writing their language was published and distributed. It is evident that neither the teachers nor the writers, often the same young people, have no facilities to do proper work. They have, furthermore, received makeshift preparation, and do a remarkably good job considering the circumstances. It is to be hoped that with the new law outlined above proper funding might be allocated and conditions will improve for the teachers and learners of Chichimeco Jonaz as well as those of all the other Indian languages of...

Keywords: Mexico, Misión de Chichimecas, Chichimeco Jonaz, case study, capacity building, indigenous languages, legislation, historical context, resources

How to Cite:

Lastra, Y., (2004) “The need for capacity building in Mexico: Misión de Chichimecas, a case study”, Language Documentation and Description 2, 108-121. doi: https://doi.org/10.25894/ldd294