The indigenous Mixteca people are from Oaxaca, Mexico, a place with great gastronomical and cultural traditions, which the Mixteca community in Staten Island tries to preserve; however, the community laments that its young people refuse to speak its language.

Rosabel Basurto came to Staten Island five years ago from San Marcos Natividad in Oaxaca. The only residents left in his hometown were elderly community members and children under the age of five. He estimates that 90 percent of the Mixteca people currently live in New York City.

But Basurto still carries a piece of Mexico in his heart. He is proud of his indigenous heritage and his life in the United States, which he describes as very similar to his life back in his hometown.

"My wife makes tortillas by hand and cooks them on the comal. She makes salsa using a mortar and pestle. We celebrate our holidays and observe the religious beliefs of our elders," said Basurto.

Fleeing poverty

Rosabel works in construction. He explained that the first Mixteca immigrants arrived on Staten Island in the 1990s. The community continues to expand, especially given the constant flow of migration.

"People continue to leave Oaxaca because of poverty. There isn't any work or any money there. Education and healthcare are not available. It is impossible to live in such a marginalized place," says Rosabel.

Pride in their roots

Rosabel maintained that many children born in the United States have lost a sense of pride in their ancestry. The Mixteca language has been substituted by English and Spanish.

"It's a shame that parents don't teach their children to speak our language. Little by little, Mixteca becomes lost, and that isn't good at all because the Mixteca tongue is our identity. It is crucial to rescue the language," said Basurto.

Basurto expressed his reverence for his heritage in Mixteca: "Iyoo siiji inindu kuuldu naa daby. Takuaa xii nima mindu kuu nanuduuba."