Mexico primarily speaks Spanish, which is the de facto national language spoken by about 94% to over 99% of the population, making Mexico the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world
. Spanish is used in government, education, and daily communication. Besides Spanish, Mexico officially recognizes 68 indigenous languages, which have equal validity in their respective regions due to the 2003 General Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples
. The most widely spoken indigenous languages include:
- Nahuatl, spoken by over 1.7 million people, historically the language of the Aztecs
- Yucatec Maya, spoken by around 850,000 people, one of the oldest languages dating back to 200 AD
- Other significant indigenous languages include Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Otomi
While Spanish dominates, about 5-6% of Mexicans speak both Spanish and an indigenous language, and around 0.6% speak only an indigenous language
. English is also spoken to some extent, especially in tourist areas and border regions, but it is not an official language
. In summary, Mexico's linguistic landscape is dominated by Spanish, with a rich presence of indigenous languages officially recognized and protected by law.
