Since the 1980’s the pace of immigration to the United States of Mixtec and other indigenous Oaxacan groups has increased. Urged north by the economic situation and environmental degradation of their native Mexican state, over 100,000 Oaxacan Indians have settled in California. The influx of individuals who speak neither English nor Spanish has presented a major problem for many California towns and cities, as there are few Mixtec capable of serving as liaisons between the indigenous community and the U.S. government and local institutions. While OxFam funding has permitted the Mixtec community of Fresno to organize and send 15 community members to receive training as interpreters in Mexico, there are other communities throughout the state that are still struggling in a foreign environment with little resources and an inability to communicate.
