Situated Teaching of the Nahuatl Language in Community Contexts: Linguistic Revitalization and the Exercise of Intercultural Rights Among Tlacotenca Children

Abstract

The recognition of linguistic rights and intercultural education in Mexico stands in contrast to the ongoing displacement of Indigenous languages and the challenges facing their transmission to new generations. In this context, the study aimed to analyze how the situated teaching of Nahuatl—developed by the *Academia de Lengua y Cultura Náhuatl A.C.* of the Indigenous community of Santa Ana Tlacotenco, Mexico City—contributes to linguistic revitalization and the exercise of linguistic rights among children. A qualitative study with an interpretive approach was conducted using an instrumental case study design. Fieldwork took place between 2025 and 2026, involving ten children and five teachers, alongside the observation of community practices and document analysis. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis, and were interpreted using reflexive thematic analysis. The results identified four analytical themes: (1) Nahuatl as a central element linking identity, territory, and community belonging; (2) pedagogical experiences fostering language acquisition; (3) children as agents of linguistic revitalization; and (4) tensions, forms of resistance, and challenges regarding the continuity of Nahuatl. The findings demonstrate that the situated teaching of Nahuatl strengthens linguistic revitalization by creating conditions for the social use of the language within family, cultural, and community practices. The study provides evidence that linguistic revitalization is bolstered by the social use of the language—an analytical category that connects intercultural education, linguistic rights, and child agency.