ABSTRACT
Mexican Amerindian culture is varied and complex, and there are many native American musical traditions in Mexican territory (see map 3). Fifty-four native languages are spoken in Mexico, perhaps half the number thought to have been extant at the time of the Encounter. Although a few native groups have lived in relative isolation since the early 1500s, most have experienced significant political and cultural oppression, evangelization, and acculturation. About 10 percent of Mexicans speak Amerindian languages; most of those also speak Spanish. Through isolation, as with the Lacandón Maya [see Maya], or resistance, as with the Yaqui [see Yaqui And Mayo], some groups have maintained a high degree of continuity in many of their cultural and musical practices. Many communities maintain a sense of native American identity while accepting Spanish religious beliefs and customs and adopting Spanish musical practices, instruments, and occasions for performance. It is often difficult to draw a line between native American and mestizo musics, given that the latter are by definition a blend of native American and other cultural elements.
