Words of the True Peoples/Palabras de los Seres Verdaderos

<p>As part of the larger ongoing movement throughout Latin America to reclaim non-Hispanic cultural heritages and identities indigenous writers in Mexico are reappropriating the written word in their ancestral tongues and in Spanish. As a result the long-marginalized innermost feelings needs and worldviews of Mexico's ten to twenty million indigenous peoples are now being widely revealed to the Western societies with which these peoples coexist. To contribute to this process and serve as a bridge of intercultural communication and understanding this groundbreaking three-volume anthology gathers works by the leading generation of writers in thirteen Mexican indigenous languages: Nahuatl Maya Tzotzil Tzeltal Tojolabal Tabasco Chontal Purepecha Sierra Zapoteco Isthmus Zapoteco Mazateco Ñahñu Totonaco and Huichol.</p> <p>Volume Three contains plays by six Mexican indigenous writers. Their plays appear first in their native language followed by English and Spanish translations. Montemayor and Frischmann have abundantly annotated the Spanish English and indigenous-language texts and added glossaries and essays that introduce the work of each playwright and discuss the role of theater within indigenous communities. These supporting materials make the anthology especially accessible and interesting for nonspecialist readers seeking a greater understanding of Mexico's indigenous peoples.</p>