{"id":8896,"date":"2015-08-24T09:45:03","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T13:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=8896"},"modified":"2015-08-24T09:25:30","modified_gmt":"2015-08-24T13:25:30","slug":"visiting-los-pueblos-indigenas-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/visiting-los-pueblos-indigenas-in-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Los Pueblos Ind\u00edgenas<\/i> in Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the Americas, Mexico has the largest indigenous population, composed of nearly 16 million people<\/a> from dozens of different Native American backgrounds, or almost a seventh of its massive population. For the language enthusiast like you or I, this offers 68 different idiomas ind\u00edgenas<\/i> with millions of speakers in this giant country. But even for those of us not taken with languages, it means great precolumbian archeological sites to visit. Of the 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites scattered throughout Mexico, it’s no coincidence that many of them are ruins and other artifacts of Mexico’s rich indigenous populations.<\/p>\n

\"pueblos<\/a>

Trilingual informational sign at Palenque, in Spanish, English, and a Mayan dialect. Photo by Jakob Gibbons<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Los pueblos ind\u00edgenas<\/i>, or indigenous peoples, make Mexico one of the most culturally diverse hispanophone countries in the world. This year, in visiting some of the ruins they left behind centuries ago before the arrival of European colonizers, I had a chance to see some of the history and the present-day culture of these groups.<\/p>\n

Here’s a crash course on the Spanish you’ll need to navigate famous indigenous\u00a0ruins\u00a0like Teotihuac\u00e1n, Palenque, and Tulum.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico<\/a>

The pyramids at Teotihuac\u00e1n, near Mexico City.
Photo by Jakob Gibbons<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When visiting las ruinas precolombinas<\/i>, you’ll first have to get there. From big urban centers like Mexico City, that just means a simple ride on the autobus.<\/i>\u00a0But when coming from\u00a0more isolated areas in the South or the Yucat\u00e1n, for example, you’ll probably have to take a collectivo<\/i> or a combi<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve arrived at the gates, it’s time to pagar la entrada<\/i>, which can range from about 40 to 80 Mexican pesos, or around $3-5 US dollars. Normally your bus or collectivo<\/i> will drop you off right at the gate, and once you’ve paid you can proceed inside to explore sprawling precolumbian cities and the ruins they left behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

The pyramids at Palenque. Photo by Jakob Gibbons<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Somewhere around the gates will inevitably be a swarm of\u00a0gu\u00edas<\/em>, folks lying in wait to try to talk you into guided tours for a small fee. But these\u00a0gu\u00edas<\/em>\u00a0aren’t the only informal entrepreneurs looking to earn a few pesos\u00a0from\u00a0las turistas:<\/em>\u00a0you’ll see all sorts of\u00a0vendedores<\/em>\u00a0spread out on all sides, inside and outside the ruin sites.<\/p>\n

People, indigenous and others, set up small kiosks or roll out blankets in the grass to sell an impressive variety of trinkets and knick-knacks, of questionable practical use but the perfect regalitos<\/i> to buy and bring back home to family and friends.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the prices are set in stone as resilient as that of\u00a0the temples in their backdrop, but other times you’ll find these salesmen willing to haggle\u00a0a bit. You can feel them out by starting with a “\u00bfCu\u00e1nto sale?<\/i>” or synonymously “\u00bfcu\u00e1nto cuesta?<\/i>” or just simply “\u00bfcu\u00e1nto es?<\/i>”<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

A vendedor<\/i> inside the ruins at Palenque, selling, among other things, the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkeys (which I’m sure have something to do with an indigenous Mexican culture). Photo by Jakob Gibbons<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

At the end of your precolumbian journey through Mexico, you’ll probably have lots of great photos, a piece of ‘indigenous craftwork’ that looks suspiciously like a pipe, one of those terrible bird noise things that seem to be sold at every architectural site across the country, and some insight into the culturas precolombinas<\/i> of the region. Don’t forget to give the vendor or the cab driver a few pesos for a propina<\/i> on your way out!<\/p>\n

Vocabulario:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

los pueblos ind\u00edgenas<\/i> – indigenous peoples, indigenous populations
\nlos idiomas ind\u00edgenas<\/i> – indigenous languages
\nlas ruinas precolombinas<\/i> – precolumbian ruins
\nel collectivo<\/i> – collective or shared taxi; normally a van or SUV that waits until it is full or almost full before leaving along a predetermined route
\nel combi<\/i> – a van used as a bus or shuttle, usually to carry people between local towns and surrounding villages
\npagar la entrada<\/i> – to pay the entry fee or cover
\nel\/la gu\u00eda turistica<\/i> – tour guide
\nla turista<\/i> – tourist
\nel vendedor<\/i> – seller, vendor
\nel regal(it)o<\/i> – gift, present
\n\u00bfcu\u00e1nto sale?<\/i> – “How much (does it) cost?” This is Mexican Spanish, and is particularly popular around Mexico City. It’s virtually interchangeable with “\u00bfcu\u00e1nto cuesta?”<\/p>\n

Have you been to or would you like to visit some of the ruinas ind\u00edgenas<\/i> in Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country? Share your experiences and handiest phrases here in the comments!<\/big><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Of all the Americas, Mexico has the largest indigenous population, composed of nearly 16 million people from dozens of different Native American backgrounds, or almost a seventh of its massive population. For the language enthusiast like you or I, this offers 68 different idiomas ind\u00edgenas with millions of speakers in this giant country. But even…<\/p>\n

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