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amendment
                Mexico                                     (n.): enmienda

                   ince the second edition of the Atlas of the World
                SLanguages was published, major changes have
                occurred in Mexico. In August of 2001, a constitutional
                amendment declared that Mexico is multicultural. It
                stated that indigenous peoples are those who were
                living in the land known as Mexico when colonization
                began and who, to a certain extent, uphold their own
                cultural and social institutions. It further states that
                indigenous communities should be able to sustain
                and enhance their languages, have their customs and
                traditions respected, and that they are entitled to be
                backed up and defended by agents and translators
                who understand their culture.

                In 2003, the linguistic rights of indigenous populations
                were recognized by federal law. This included the
                Amerindians who, since independence, have taken
                residence in the country. Meanwhile, the Instituto
                Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas (INALI, National Institute
                for Indigenous Languages) was established.
                It was tasked with protecting indigenous languages
                and promoting their development. They also advise the
                three levels of government on appropriate policies to
                accomplish their goals.

                The Education Law was changed in 2006. Speakers of
                indigenous languages were given the right to access
                educationin their own language as well as in Spanish.
                Only Spanish was spoken during classes in the past,
                although primary schools in areas where indigenous
                languages were spoken taught those languages
                as subjects.






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