by Lisa B. Martin
Many visitors to Mexico do not know that not all Mexicans speak Spanish. Over 60 different tribal languages are still actively spoken today among Mexico’s indigenous, or “Indian” peoples.
Among the most common and the most ancient is Nahuatl, the classical language of the Aztecs. Today, Nahuatl (pronounced NA-whatl) is spoken and used by indigenous people throughout the central and southeastern states of Mexico, and also actively right here Zihuatanejo. The adults and the dark-skinned children selling wares on the beach most likely speak Nahuatl, as do many of the merchants in the Mercado de Artesanias, and the sturdy-bodied women who stand selling herbs and flowers behind the Mercado Central. Curious? Just ask them: Tu hablas Nahatl? (“Do you speak Nahuatl?”). You may find that some of these people are bilingual, speaking Spanish and Nahuatl; others have added English to their language skills, too.
The very name of Zihuatanejo is derived from the Nahautl word for woman – “zihuatl”; the original name of the town being Zihuatlan – place of many strong or beautiful women; then later adapted with the more dismissive Spanish suffix – “nejo”. After Nahuatl, the most common indigenous dialects spoken by other tribal descendants in the Zihua-Ixtapa region are Mixteco, Tlapaneco and Amusgo.
Statistics from world Fact Book Online (www.odci-gov/mexico) declare that approximately 30% of Mexico’s modern population is Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, meaning their blood heritage goes back to the days before the Spanish conquest in 1521. Local sources inform us that it is more likely that 18% are pure indigenous – 18 million souls. It is estimated that Nahuas comprise the largest sector of the indigenous population – approximately 50%. Nahuas now live in 28 of Mexico’s 32 states.
A Language with a Long History
The original Aztecs were a wandering band that built perhaps the strongest culture in Mexico. The official center of Aztec leadership was largely in the area that is now Mexico City, but its territories, language and culture reached throughout the peoples of central and southern Mexico, and into the Central American countries of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Salvador. Classic Aztec language is considered to be one of the great Native American languages, and the leading members of Aztec society and royalty were considered great poets and writers who celebrated the beauty of their world and culture through this vibrant and elegant tongue.
The elegance and simplicity of the Nahuatl language system developed by the ancient Aztecs is compared to Latin in the days of ancient Rome. Rich with metaphor deeply connected to the seasons, rituals and beliefs of agricultural indigenous life, Nahuatl language is as simple and flexible it is sophisticated and poetic. Full of enigma and contradiction, classic Aztec literature reflects the unique way the Aztecs saw the world around them. The basic structure of Nahuatl is such that it became a common means of communicating among many dozens of tribes and thousands of peoples across broad territories and centuries.
Alive, Spoken and Now Taught in Zihuatanejo
While, today, Nahuatl is spoken by many of Zihuatanejo’s current indigenous residents, (who constitute as much as 12% of the local population), the diversity of languages in contemporary Mexico presents both an obstacle and an opportunity. To most Mexicans, it is no secret that that indigenas (in Spanish, pronounced in-DEE-hen-us) of the country have long been discriminated against, often given the lowest level jobs in farming and construction; possessing limited knowledge of their human rights, as well as limited resources for health care and education in a Spanish-speaking economy. Life is still hard for “Mexico’s most forgotten people” as they sometimes call themselves, but their plight has garnered international attention and some improvements are being seen.
Education is a critical part of the solution, and one local school in Zihuatanejo is leading this wave of positive change: the Escuela Primaria Federal Bilingue “Netzahualcoyotl” – the Bilingual Primary School named “Netzahualcoyotl” (pronounced Netza-wal-coy-O-te). The region’s only public school for indigenous children can be seen prominently from La Ropa beach and the bay below as the group of new red-roofed, yellow buildings under the radio towers on the hillside of the La Colonia and La Noria neighborhoods. Founded eight years ago by a handful of dedicated teachers and parents, including current school director Marina Sanchez Hernandez, the Netzahualcoyotl School (or “Netza” school), is rightfully named after the imaginative and energetic Aztec poet-king whose likeness appears on the $100 peso currency note.
While there are over 40 public primary schools in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa region serving children ages 6-12, the Netza School is the only one that is completely free (charging no enrollment or tuition fees, and requiring no uniforms), and it does not require Spanish as the primary language. Prior to its founding in homemade rustic structures in the heart of the indigenous barrio (neighborhood), Nahuas, Mixteco, Flamenco and Amusgo children had no school, and their parents no reason not to put the children to work at home, in the fields or in the markets, as has been the tradition for centuries. The primary barrier to education of these children was language.
With currently over 300 children enrolled including a new kindergarten, the Netza School gives indigenous children the opportunity to learn Spanish, as well as all other subjects including mathematics, geography, history and writing. Currently twelve full-time and three part- time multi-lingual teachers from several different Indian tribes lead well-organized classes, complete with examinations and a graduation ceremony for the 25 or so each year who reach 6th grade.
As children learn to read and write in first through third grades, texts and lessons are in Nahuatl and Spanish. By third or fourth grade, all text and lessons are in Spanish, as children move into fluency. Some basic English lessons have been recently added for children in the sixth grade.
This year both the teachers and all the children in grades 1-6 are receiving formal instruction in classic Nahuatl as well. Because of a history of poor schooling among indigenas, the language has been largely passed orally from generation to generation. This program to teach, retain and continue the proper use of this historically important and beautiful language is a great step in honoring the past while celebrating the future of the indigenous people.
A Nahuatl Primer
An agglunative system, the Nahuatl language composes words and word-phrases by stringing common words together. It is not unusual to see Nahuatl words with 15 to18 characters, or more. An example:
Tipitzonacacuaznequi = Tu quieres comer carne de puerco = You want to eat pork.
Here it is broken down into Nahuatl =Spanish=English:
Ti = tu = you; pitzo = cerdo/puerco = pig; naca = carne = meat; cuaz = comer = to eat; nequi = querer = want to.
Modern pronunciation is easier than it looks. Vowel sounds are roughly ah (as in father), ay (as in day), ee (as in meek), oh (as in toe). Before a and o the consonant c is rather like our k, so is qu before e or i. Cu before vowels is pronounced kw (as in quit), and ch as in church. An hu stands for w (as in we), and tz for the ts sound in cats. Before e and I, a c has the s sound, as does every z. The x is like sh in she. The tl seen commonly in Nahautl words is pronounced with the l almost silent; the tongue pressed and rolled behind the upper teeth; almost sounding like th, thl or teh.
Some pronunciation examples:
Mexica – may-SHEE-kah; Huitzilopochtli – weets-eel-oh-POHCH-tlee (an ancient Aztec diety); and Tenochtitlan – tay-nohch-TEE-tlahn.
Nahuatl common greetings change every few hours with the rising and setting sun:
6 to 9 am: Tlaneshtilli (tlan-esh-TEE-lee) “Buenos dias” – Good day. 9 to 11 am: Panotlti (pan-NOL-tlee) “Buenas dios”– Good day. 1 to pm: Tlakilti (tla-KIL-tee) “Buenas tardes” – Good afternoon. 7-12 pm: Tlapoyaualti (Tla-po-yah-WAL-tee) – “Buenas noches” – Good night.
Other common words include:
Quema – (KAY-ma) – “Si” – Yes
Ca or Ahmo (Ka or AH-mo) – No (2 versions, used interchangeably)
Zihuatl – (ze-WAHTL) - woman
Tlakame – (tla-KAH-mee) – man
Zihua conetl – (Ze-whah-kon-EHTL) - Nina – girl child.
Conetl – (kon-EHTL) - Nino – boy child
Axca moztla – (Ash-KAH most-lah) “Hasta manana” – See you tomorrow.
Stay tuned to ADIP’s future issues for more on Nahuatl language, history and vocabulary, as we celebrate the diversity that is Mexico.
I, Netzahualcoyotl, ask this:
Is it true one really lives on the earth?
Not forever on earth,
only a little while here.
Though it be jade it falls apart,
though it be gold it wears away.
Not forever on earth,
only a little while here.
Nahuatl poem of Aztec king Netzahualcoytl.
A writer from New England, U,S.A., Lisa B. Martin has been visiting Zihuatenejo since 1999, and volunteering her time to assist the indigenous peoples of the region through fundraising with Rotary International and community relations for the Netzahualcoytl School. Reach her at lisa@lisabmartin.com, or cell 044-755-55-100-1173 thru May 2003. Info on the Netza School can also be seen at rockportrotary.org, or at www.zihua-ixtapa.com.
Sources: The Mighty Aztecs, Gene S. Stuart, National Geographic Society, 1981; Mexico, Michael D. Coe, Thames & Hudson, Ltd, London, 1962-1994; The Aztecs, Richard F. Townsend, Thames & Hudson, Ltd, London, 1992-2000; A Scattering of Jades, Dr. T.J. Knab & Thelma D. Sullivan, Simon & Schuster, 1994; Tlahtolnahuatilli, Curose Elemantal de Nahuatl Clasico, Enrique Garcia Escamilla, Plaza y Vladez, S.A. de C.V, Mexico 1995-2000); Bernardo Benjamin Morales and Marina Sanchez Hernandez, Zihuatanejo.
December 2002
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