Toosarvandani in Oaxaca

At the beginning of the summer, Professor Maziar Toosarvandani traveled to the town of Santiago Laxopa in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, as part of the ongoing NSF grant on animacy resumption, co-directed with Ivy Sichel and Matt Wagers, and the Zapotec Language Project. Alongside research activities, Maziar assisted Maestra Fe Silva Robles—a two-time instructor in the graduate field methods course and co-founder of Senderos—as she led a five-day workshop for the town’s residents on reading and writing their Zapotec language. 

The workshop built on several years of related activities, including the two field methods classes, a previous literacy workshop in Laxopa, and the ongoing Zapotec language classes here in Santa Cruz that are part of the Department’s Nido de Lenguas initiative. Participants learned how to use a Zapotec alphabet that had been modified to accommodate the unique sounds of the Laxopa variety, and practiced reading and writing with it. 

This year’s workshop saw the introduction of two new books to the literature for this Zapotec language, including one written by Maestra Fe herself entitled Bdze’ wenh llinh (“The hardworking ant”). At the conclusion, these books were presented to the municipal authorities, alongside other products from the past year’s workshop: an alphabet poster, additional books, and a number of signs for posting in the town’s streets.