Welcome to
DIIDXZADÁCTICO
Educational project created by students from the Comprehensive Community High School of Teotitlán del Valle that aims to preserve and promote the Zapotec language through interactive, fun, and accessible materials.
Where does this project come from?
In Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. It is located about 30 kilometers east of the city of Oaxaca, along Federal Highway 190 heading toward the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This town is known for its rich tradition in wool rug weaving, an ancestral practice that has been passed down from generation to generation. In addition, Teotitlán del Valle has an average altitude of 1,680 meters above sea level. Teotitlán del Valle is also the seat of the municipality of the same name, which is one of the 570 municipalities in the state of Oaxaca. The region is famous for its Zapotec history and culture, and it is believed to be one of the first towns founded by the Zapotecs in 1461.
Zapotec: more than a language
Zapotec is at the heart of cultural identity in Teotitlán del Valle. However, fewer and fewer people speak it. The language has been fading from classrooms, homes, and daily life, threatening to break the link between generations.
Beneficiaries
The project aims to benefit the community, mainly the children of the community and the Indigenous language course taught by Lic. Lorenzo Jiménez Martínez, a teacher at the Comprehensive Community High School of Teotitlán del Valle. They will learn words in Zapotec. The community faces a problem of declining numbers of native speakers, and this project seeks to preserve and revitalize the Zapotec language among new generations.
Our strategy to revitalize Zapotec
We connect children with their native language through games, stories, dictionaries, and digital tools. We want Zapotec to be learned with joy, as a living part of the present—not a relic of the past.
See activities