2nd edition of the mazatec MOOC: registration now open!

3 April 2026

  • Americas

  • Distance learning

  • Digital education

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Discover the Mazatec language and culture of Huautla de Jiménez, a town in the north-eastern Mexican state of Oaxaca. This MOOC in the "Indigenous Languages and Cultures" series is available in French and Spanish. Registration is open from April 7 to June 5, 2026.
Rue d'un village de la vallée d'Oaxaca (Mexique)
Teotitlan del Valle Oaxaca Mexico Streets and buildings of an indigenous town in Mexico © alpositivlight / Freepik‎

"Indigenous languages and cultures": mazatec (Mexico)

The MOOC Indigenous Languages and Cultures offers an introduction to the mazatec of Huautla de Jiménez, a locality in the northeastern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Mazatec belongs to the "otomangue" family, is the indigenous language of around 239,000 speakers and is one of the most widely spoken Mesoamerican languages both in the region and nationwide.

Inalco's MOOC Indigenous Languages and Cultures will enable you to discover the Mazatec world with the help of bilingual support.

Accessible in French and Spanish, this online course will immerse you in the history, culture and grammar of Mazatec.

Organized into practical thematic modules, this course will introduce you to the basics of communication in Mazatec, through interactive dialogues, grammatical explanations and practical exercises.

You'll explore a variety of topics, from daily greetings to market traditions, travel to this region and the importance of corn in Mazatec culture.

Mozatec MOOC teaser

Introduction to the Mazatec MOOC, designed by Jean Léo Léonard, Karla J. Avilès Gonzalèz and Doña Clementina Cerqueda García.

Training schedule

What you will learn

During this course, you will be able to:

  • Discover the history of the Mazatecan language and culture
  • Get to grips with basic lexical and grammatical elements in Mazatec
  • Be introduced to the basics of using the language in everyday communication situations: greetings, the market, travel
  • Finally, explore one of the major aspects of Huautla de Jiménez culture: corn

MOOC format

This MOOC lasts five weeks. Each week, you'll find:

  • dialogue videos
  • lesson videos: lexicon, grammar, conjugation
  • practice exercises
  • discussion forums

Evaluation and certification

This MOOC does not award certification, but you have the option of earning a tracking badge by passing graded exercises with a score of at least 50%.

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Inalco's MOOCs