
Articles

Mexican States
Southwest United States
Heritage and Governance
Indigenous Hidalgo and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Indigenous Chiapas and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Exploring Jalisco’s Indigenous People: Past and Present
Today, Jalisco is the seventh largest state of Mexico with a diverse terrain that gave rise to an incredible diversity of tribal groups. Professor Eric Van Young has noted that the area of central Jalisco “supported relatively dense populations” and a “considerable ethnolinguistic variety prevailed within a fairly small geographic area.” But the expedition of Nuño de Guzmán (1529-1531) changed everything and many tribal groups were decimated during the next two decades, especially after the Mixtón Revolt (1540-1541).
Indigenous Tamaulipas: The Seno Mexicano and Nuevo Santander
The state of Tamaulipas is located in the northeastern portion of the Mexican Republic. It shares common borders with the Mexican States of Nuevo León (to the west), San Luis Potosí (to the southwest) and Veracruz (to the south). It also shares its northern boundary with Texas. On its east, Tamaulipas also has a 458-kilometer long coastline along the Gulf of Mexico.
Indigenous Tamaulipas: Ancestors of the Tejanos
The State of Tamaulipas once boasted a very large number of indigenous groups. Most of the region was largely unexplored and unexploited until the middle of the 18th Century when Jose de Escandón established the colony of Nuevo Santander. Although Gabriel Saldivar’s “Los Indios de Tamaulipas” (1943) references four primary indigenous groups within the borders of the present-day state, the Coahuiltecans made up the bulk of the northern bands along the Rio Grande River. However, with Spaniards coming from the south and Apaches and Comanches attacking from the north, the Coahuiltecans declined significantly within the period of a century, many of them seeking refuge in the Spanish missions
Monolingualism in Mexico (2010)
Mexico’s Census agency is the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) — known to Americans as the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Every ten years, INEGI publishes a census showing various population statistics for all residents living in Mexico.
Los Extranjeros in Mexico (1895-2010)
Immigration to Mexico
From the early Sixteenth Century to the end of the Nineteenth Century, Mexico saw a continuous surge of immigrants from Spain. But several other countries — most notably Portugal, Italy, Germany, France, the Philippines and China — also contributed a steady stream of immigrants to various parts of Mexico through the centuries. Immigration from North America and other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean has also been healthy over the long haul.
The Indigenous Groups Along the Lower Rio Grande
The American state of Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas share a long border along the Rio Grande River. For thousands of years, Native American tribes either lived along this river or passed over it on their way south (or north). This boundary was finalized in 1848, but a century earlier, much of the Rio Grande River area was being settled by Spanish and Mexican settlers who had come from other parts of Mexico to settle the lands that were already inhabited by many tribal groups.
Indigenous Puebla and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communication channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Indigenous Veracruz and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Quintana Roo and the Census
The present-day state of Quintana Roo is one of three Mexican states on the Yucatán Peninsula. In the pre-Hispanic period, Quintana Roo and the Yucatán were part of the Mayan World. In the colonial period, Quintana Roo became part of the Spanish Empire although much of the state maintained their Mayan culture and language.
Indigenous Jalisco and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Indigenous Michoacán and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico´s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous) religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of indigenous people.
The Africans of Mexico: From Slavery to the 2015 Census
Most people are not very aware of the presence of African slaves in colonial Mexico. In fact, some people believe that the influence of the African to Mexican culture is negligible at best. But the African laborer actually played an important and very indispensable role in the economic success of colonial Mexico. And, in some parts of Mexico, the African made cultural contributions.
The Early Mexican Censuses (1793-1921)
Several estimates of the Mexican population in the late colonial period have been made. Present-day analysts suggest that the 1810 census was over estimated by nearly one-fifth. As noted below, roughly 60% of the population was indigenous in both 1793 and 1810. Persons identified as Spanish (white) who were born in Mexico – not Spain – represented nearly 18% of the population. Individuals of mixed origins (mestizos) represented one-fifth of the population.
Racial and Cultural Identity in Mexico: 2015
In 2016, the Mexican government agency, Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática (INEGI), published the 2015 Intercensal Survey, which upgraded Mexico’s socio-demographic information to the midpoint between the 2010 census and the census to be carried out in 2020. With a sample size of over 6 million homes, this survey provides information on the national, state and municipio level, as of March 15th, 2015.
Indigenous San Luis Potosí and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
Indigenous Chihuahua and the Census
From 1895 to 2015, the Mexican census has painted a picture of Mexico’s people, providing details about languages spoken (Spanish, foreign and indigenous), religion, education, literacy, employment and migration. From the beginning, the Mexican census provided details about indigenous languages spoken by its citizens. However, in the first half century, it is possible that there were undercounts of indigenous language speakers because some may have failed to declare their language status for fear of affecting their position within the community. In addition, poor communications channels with rural, isolated indigenous communities may also have caused an undercount of the indigenous people.
The History of the Náhuatl Language: From Aztlán to the Present Day
The Uto-Aztecan Language Group includes a wide range of languages, stretching from Idaho and Montana all the way down to El Salvador in Central America. The Náhuatl language of the Aztecs represents only a small — but significant — part of this linguistic group.
Mexico’s 1921 Census: A Unique Perspective
In the aftermath of the Mexican revolution, Mexico’s Departamento de la Estadística Nacional administered a census that would be unique among Mexico’s census counts administered between 1895 and 2005. In this new census, the Mexican Government decided to ask Mexicans about their perception of their own racial heritage. In the 1921 census, residents of the Mexican Republic were asked if they fell into one of the following categories:

Article Categories
- Aguascalientes 14
- Arizona 4
- Baja California 5
- Baja California Sur 2
- California 17
- Campeche 4
- Census 35
- Chiapas 3
- Chihuahua 13
- Coahuila 7
- Colima 1
- Conquistador Chronicles 2
- Durango 2
- Ethnic Identity 39
- Genealogy 35
- Guanajuato 8
- Guerrero 8
- Hidalgo 2
- Indigenous Insights 96
- Jalisco 25
- Mexico City 11
- Michoacan 7
- Morelos 4
- Nayarit 3
- New Mexico 4
- Nuevo Leon 7
- Oaxaca 6
- Politics 10
- Puebla 5
- Queretaro 1
- Quintana Roo 4
- San Luis Potosi 11
- Sinaloa 6
- Sonora 16
- Southwest US 26
- State of Mexico 5
- Tabasco 3
- Tamaulipas 11
- Texas 7
- Tlaxcala 7
- Veracruz 6
- Yucatan 6
- Zacatecas 13