Mixe people

Mixe (Mije)

Ayüükjä'äy
The Sierra Mixe within Oaxaca, Mexico
Total population
~90,000
Regions with significant populations
Mexico (Oaxaca), El Salvador (Ahuachapan)
Languages
Mixe, Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholic, and Indigenous religion
Related ethnic groups
Zoques

The Mixe (Spanish mixe or rarely mije [ˈmixe]) are an Indigenous people of Mexico who live in the eastern highlands of the state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages, which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative than other Indigenous groups of the region, maintaining their language to this day. SIL international estimated that 90,000 Mixe spoke Mixe language in 1993.

The Mixe name for themselves is Ayuujkjä'äy meaning "people who speak the mountain language".^[1] The word "Mixe" itself is probably derives from the Nahuatl word for cloud: mīxtli.