Course description

The MOOC “Mazatecan language and culture” provides an introduction to the Mazatecan language from Huautla de Jiménez, a town in the northeastern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Mazatecan language belongs to the “Otomangue” family and is the indigenous language of over 239,000 speakers, making it one of the most widely spoken Mesoamerican languages both in the region and nationwide.

In this 6-week MOOC, you'll discover the history of the Mazatec people and their language through the following themes: geo-demographic and sociolinguistic introduction, greetings, the market, travel and corn. In the course of the lessons, you'll also have the opportunity to explore a range of resources linked to the structure of the language, where many phonemic, lexical and grammatical distinctions are made through the tonal system that characterises the language family to which Mazatecan language belongs.

This MOOC also aims to raise awareness of the specificity of the indigenous language and culture of the Mazatec people. Huautla de Jiménez has managed to preserve its pre-Hispanic language and traditional practices over time despite the influence of a dominant Spanish-speaking culture.