Mixteco is an indigenous language belonging to the Mixteco people of Mexico. They are the third largest group of native peoples in Mexico and call themselves Ñuu Savi, or People of the Rain. Most Mixtecos come from an agricultural background and have  many traditions based on the natural environment of their homelands, which provides obstacles in maintaining many of those traditions in a different physical landscape. 

Staten Island is home to a large community of Mixtecos struggling to preserve their language and customs so far away from not only their land but also their people. We are working with a group called Ñani Migrantes, most of whom are from the town of San Jeronimo in Puebla, to help preserve the dances, rituals and costumes of their region’s Carnaval festival. Additionally, the community is interested in expanding education and awareness of the Mixtec language, medicinal herbs and gardening techniques. The programming is created through a community-centered approach, representing the voices of both elders and newer generations, in which collaborative decision-making directs the agenda.