In Mexico, about 90 percent of the nation’s 110 million residents are monolingual Spanish-speakers. But there remain dozens of indigenous languages that have been spoken for centuries. Today, there are about 100,000 Purépecha speakers in Mexico. It’s not clear why, but the Spaniards called them the Tarascos, which comes from the word “tarasque” meaning father-in-law or brother-in-law in the Purépecha language. The Aztecs, at the height of their empire, called them the Michhuàquê in the Nahuatl language, meaning, “those that fish,” and giving rise to the name “Michoacán,” the region in Mexico were they continue to fish and farm and make a life in the fertile volcanic slopes.
Ididrio Salmeron in his field of wheat.
Most Purépecha are bilingual, speaking Spanish in addition to their native language. And as indigenous people, they were often shunned by mainstream Mexican society that looked down on them and all native peoples. So they seem an unlikely group to migrate north. But many have called their Michoacán homeland in Central America the “Mexican dustbowl.” Deforestation has decimated many of their hills, and once thriving farms now lay abandoned.
Miguel Salmeron in Quinceo.
In Seattle, a thriving Purépecha community has emerged over the past decade. KUOW’s Liz Jones spent a considerable amount of time with this growing village within the city, and we present her report as part of Latino USA’s series New American Voices.
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You can listen to more from Liz Jones’ 5-part series titled: “A Village Away From Home: Seattle’s Purépecha Community” at the KUOW website. Photos from her reporting are available on Flickr.
Take a few moments to look at scenes from Michoacán and the homeland of the Purépecha people. The song, “Tirinrni Tsïtsiki” (Marigold Flower) is a traditional song of the Purépecha people, sung here by Lila Downs.
Join the conversation on the Latino USA blog to discuss the story of the Purépecha young people profiled this week.
This week’s Presidential Address to Congress had Maria reflecting on motherhood, multi-tasking, and families sharing an historic moment.
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The fourteenth amendment to the Constitution notwithstanding, the idea of a national census is outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”
Angelo Falcón
The importance of the census can not be ignored: not only is representation in Congress based on it, but just about every Federal program bases spending decisions on the numbers that are gathered (often door-to-door) every ten years, and policy is based on the demographic snapshot the census provides. Politicians-turned-theoretical-mathematicians argue not only who to count, but how to count. Angelo Falcón is the President of the National Institute for Latino Policy and a member of the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Census 2010. He helps us make sense of the process.
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Join in the conversation at the Latino USA blog and let us know what you’re thinking about the census.
Next Week on Latino USA…
We pay a visit to Siler City, North Carolina. It used to be the census numbers in Siler City were predictable: 70% white, 30% African American. But now, after a downturn in—among others—the domestic manufacture of furniture, once a mainstay of the local economy, and the rise of chicken processing plants that recruited workers in Mexico and Central America, the population of Siler City is half Latino.
Next week, the voices of El Nuevo South. Here’s a preview:
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Liz Jones Liz Jones is a reporter at KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Her reporting focuses on immigration and Latino communities, although she’s also covered issues from biofuel to pro basketball. Previously, Liz worked as an editor and writer for Oxygen Media in New York.
Angelo Falcón is President and Founder of the New York City- based National Institute for Latino Policy (NiLP). He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). As part of his work with NiLP, he is the editor of the Latino Policy eNewsletter and coordinator of the Latino Census Network.
Liz Jones Liz Jones is a reporter at KUOW Public Radio in Seattle. Her reporting focuses on immigration and Latino communities, although she’s also covered issues from biofuel to pro basketball. Previously, Liz worked as an editor and writer for Oxygen Media in New York. 
