Indigenous language skills can now open the door to a career in Mexico’s Foreign Service

For the first time, Mexico has begun counting Indigenous-language skills toward entry into its Foreign Service — aiming to improve consular assistance for Mexicans in the United States who speak those languages.

Applicants to the service’s technical-administrative branch can now demonstrate proficiency in specified varieties of Maya, Mixtec, Nahuatl or Zapotec to meet a language requirement.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE) published a recruitment notice Oct. 20 in Mexico’s Official Gazette (DOF), offering up to 80 positions: 44 in administration, 20 in consular affairs, communities and protection, and 16 in information technology and digitization.

Applicants do not have to prove Indigenous ancestry.

Ana Luisa Fajer, president of the Foreign Service Personnel Commission, said approximately 500,000 Mexicans of Indigenous origin live in the United States.

Recruiting speakers of their languages would improve access to documents, legal advice and consular protection, she added.

Rafael Laveaga, Mexico’s consul general in Atlanta, said language barriers complicate assistance for hospitalized patients, immigration detainees trying to understand their rights and crime victims communicating with lawyers.

Consulates provide that assistance, but finding interpreters can delay immediate help, he said. Hundreds of families speaking Mixtec, Zapotec and Nahuatl live in Georgia, Alabama and eastern Tennessee, he added.

The change follows a consular initiative launched last year to provide government information in 15 Indigenous languages at Mexican consulates, embassies and other offices abroad.

Mexico’s consulate in Los Angeles has worked with the local Indigenous advocacy organization CIELO since 2022 to provide interpretation, train staff, and promote Indigenous languages and cultures. CIELO is a women-led nonprofit that stands for Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (Indigenous Communities in Leadership).

Language barriers also affect services inside Mexico. In a June article by Animal Político, specialists identified shortages of bilingual medical personnel and Indigenous-language educational materials among shortcomings limiting access to health care and education.

Though the change was widely reported only this week, the Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 registration period has already closed. Applicants accepted for the next step have until Nov. 17 to submit documents.

The first elimination round includes entrance exams in January; further evaluations and training will be held next spring.

Applicants must also pass a written Spanish exam, but those qualifying with an Indigenous language are not required to demonstrate proficiency in English or another foreign language.