Political Divisions of Mexico - Self-determination of The Indigenous Peoples

Self-determination of The Indigenous Peoples

The second article of the constitution recognizes the multicultural composition of the nation founded upon the indigenous peoples to whom the government grants the right of self-(free) determination and autonomy. According to this article the indigenous peoples are granted

• The right to decide the internal forms of social, economic, political and cultural organization;
• The right to apply their own normative systems of regulation as long as human rights and rights of women (gender equality) are granted;
• The right to preserve and enrich their languages and culture;
• The right to elect representatives before the municipal council in which their territories are located; amongst other rights.

The nation commits to and demands the constituent states and municipalities to promote the economic and social development of the indigenous communities as well as an intercultural and bilingual education. According to the Law of Linguistic Rights, the nation recognizes 62 indigenous languages as "national languages" with the same validity as Spanish in the territories in which they are spoken and the indigenous peoples are entitled to request public services in their languages.