At approximately 10 years old, Vicente Ramírez Crisanto learned the Otomi language from his elders. Today, at 83, he is one of the few residents of the northern part of the municipality of San Miguel de Allende who still speaks it. He recognizes that in his community he no longer has anyone to converse with in the language he learned from his parents and spoke with his friends as a child.
Don Vicente lives with one of his daughters in the community of Rancho Nuevo de Banda, an area where he has lived since childhood and where he learned to work the land, which served as a means of support for his family.
Don Vicente, at 83, is one of the few Otomi speakers in Rancho Nuevo de Banda, San Miguel de Allende, where the indigenous language is at risk of disappearing.
“The Otomi language is almost disappearing; people are no longer interested in learning it. I was still able to hear the elderly speaking it, and that’s how I was able to learn it; now, new people don’t like it,” he shared.
According to research conducted by historian Graciela Cruz, at the beginning of the 20th century, only between 7 and 12% of the inhabitants of the Laja River basin spoke or understood Spanish; the rest, undoubtedly the majority, communicated in their own language, Otomi.
Talking with Don Vicente is like embarking on a journey through a vast Otomi vocabulary that he is eager to share, in order to preserve his legacy.
“When I was a child, we still spoke; children and adults, men and women, conversed in Otomi. Years have passed, and I no longer hear it spoken (…) If there were someone who could speak, we could talk, but there aren’t anymore; Otomi is being lost. New people don’t speak anymore, and if I speak to them, they don’t understand me,” shared Don Vicente.
Struggles to Instill the Language
Teacher Beatriz Rodríguez, who teaches classes in the Peña Blanca community with teacher Ángel Moreno, intends to ensure this language doesn’t be lost among the indigenous community, which is why she encourages its use among elementary school students.
“I see it as very important because all of this is being lost. There are many children who aren’t interested, but some consolidate the national anthem or look for variations to introduce words and vocabulary,” he noted.
The Otomi language, spoken by the majority of residents of the Laja River basin at the beginning of the 20th century, is at risk in San Miguel de Allende; Don Vicente is a living witness to this loss.
Teacher Bety and Teacher Ángel, in addition to continuing their studies, benefit from the wisdom of their elders, as they have found in Don Vicente a teacher with whom they can practice and learn the indigenous language.
“We found Mr. Vicente, who is one of the only ones who speaks Otomi (…) for us it’s a very beautiful thing. We talked to him, and he told us that this language is being lost and that he doesn’t understand why we’re interested, but that he’s leaving us his roots,” he said.
Source: periodicocorreo
