Nahuatl Revived

MEXICO CITY – Mexico City mayor Marcelo Ebrard wants all city employees, from hospital workers to bus drivers, to learn the Aztec language Nahuatl in an effort to revive the ancient tongue, the city government said Friday.

Leftist Ebrard, seen as a possible presidential candidate in 2012, presented his government's development plan this week translated for the first time into Nahuatl.

“This publication is not just a symbolic act, it is the first step to institutionalizing the use of Nahuatl in the government,” his office said a statement.

The next step will be offering Nahuatl classes to city government officials, including the mayor and his cabinet, and distributing booklets about indigenous culture to 300,000 public servants, said Rosa Marquez who runs the program.

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Importance: This press for learning the Aztec language is an interesting step for minority rights. Recently Mexico has been hit by a lot of bad press concerning its emphasis, or lack thereof, on human rights. Perhaps this is the first sign of a reversal of this trend.

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