Ethnic Minorities in Ciudad de México (Distrito Federal)

AbstractThe 2005 Mexico Population Census reveals 70 different languages used in the country. In Mexico, ethnicity is defined based on the language used by a given individual. The indigenous population of Mexico numbers over six million, which is 6.5% of the country's overall population. The capital city of Mexico, known in Spanish as Ciudad de México (Distrito Federal), is a special case with a small percentage of indigenous peoples (1.5%) but a very large variety of languages. The same is true of the adjacent State of México. The paper covers the spatial distribution of ethnic groups across Mexico City as well as selected social characteristics. This includes the age structure and the level of illiteracy for the indigena population and the Spanish-speaking population as well as the Human Development Index. The paper also analyzes the standard of living of both studied populations. The standard of living was measured in terms of selected household products owned by indigena peoples and Spanish speakers