Mocked by electoral authorities, indigenous Mexicans threaten armed revolution

An indigenous leader threatened to lead an armed revolution this week after the head of Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE by its Spanish acronym) was caught on tape mocking him and indigenous people in general.

INE President Lorenzo Córdova described indigenous Mexicans as “Martians” in an audio recording published by Reporte Indigo on Tuesday.

The audio revealed Córdova reflecting on a recent meeting about the upcoming midterm elections with Mauricio Mata Soria, the supreme chief of the Chichimeca tribe in the central state of Guanajuato.

Spanish is a second language for many indigenous Mexicans, who are among the country’s most marginalized inhabitants, but this did not stop Córdova from laughing and ridiculing the way that Mata Soria spoke.

Córdova also recalled meeting parents of the 43 missing students from the rural Ayotzinapa college, many of whom are from poor or indigenous backgrounds. Again, using explicit language, he made fun of their way of talking.

Córdova’s derogatory comments only served to reinforce the widely held impression that the nation’s elite view the poor and indigenous with contempt…

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