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Tribes within Mexico have been added to the Indigenous Law Portal

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We are excited to announce a new addition to our Indigenous Law PortalMexico! Thanks to the hard work of many interns, Jennifer, Tina, Jolande, Robert, and others around the Library, this completes the North American portion of the Indigenous Law Portal.

Map of the areas in North America with information in the Indigenous Law Portal.
A clickable map of North America from the Indigenous Law Portal.

The Indigenous Law Portal, which debuted in July of 2014, combines historical information from the vast collections of the Library of Congress with current sources of tribal law from the tribes themselves. Since the portal’s debut with the continental United States, we have added content for Alaska and Canada. Our newest addition, Mexico, features 62 tribes in 18 states. A clickable map makes it easy to browse tribes by state boundaries, but you can also browse an alphabetical or regional index as well.  In adding Mexico to the Portal, we discovered that there are several tribes with the same or similar names, owing to a long and complicated history within the region.

A map of areas in Mexico with information in the Indigenous Law Portal.
The Mexican Indigenous Law Portal features a clickable state map.

This is only the latest addition to the portal; there is more to come as we begin to explore Central and South America. Subscribe to In Custodia Legis for updates, because we will be adding new content throughout the coming year.

Comments (26)

  1. This is really great news for the Natives American Indian s over there, part of the reason why I think this happened is because all the Spanish left Mexico behind for the conquest of North America!

  2. I just recently found out through geneology dna testing that i am native american from mexico i am very excited i was 30% native american from mexico but i dont know where to go from here i just know i would like to do whatever i can

    • Thanks for your comment. You may want to contact our Genealogy Reading Room to continue your research. https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

  3. found out my dna is 43% native american. so sad that history was lost.

  4. I am very excited and pleased to find this. I also have found that my ancestry is Native American from Mexico and have been saddened as well as all my Aunts and Uncles Have passed and in a lot of ways my family history is very hard to find. Thank you.

  5. Hello I Just found out I’m 60 percent Indigenous Americas- Mexico so where do I from here. Is there a tribe that my ancestors came from

    • Hello. I would recommend contacting the Local History and Genealogy Reference Services of the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

  6. Researching tribes of my in-law’s & sons’ ancestry.
    Thank you!

  7. I am happy to see that Native American includes all of North America. My family lineage goes to North Jalisco, city of Teocaltiche pre dating the Spanish. We are decedents of CAXCANES who were also CHICHIMECAS. We are all cousins and share so many similarities. It warms my heart to know, we don’t have to explain that Indigenous Mexican blood is also known as Native American.

  8. Hello, I just found out that I am 49% Indigenous American- Mexico.
    How do I go about and research my family and see what tribe my ancestors came from?

  9. Hello, I just found out that I am 49% Indigenous American- Mexico.
    How do I go about and research my family and see what tribe my ancestors came from?

  10. I just found out I’m 49% indigenous how do I find out if I eligible for some Federal help

    • Thanks for your comment. Please send your question to our Ask A Librarian Service. https://ask.loc.gov/law/

  11. I did an DNA testing, and i just found out,that i am 72% indigenous American Mexico, where do i go from here, how do i find out, the tribe my ancestry came from? Where do i look to start, my research?

  12. I found out that i am indigenous, thru a DNA test

  13. I am a first generation American my parents are from a small town in Mexico called Rancho Viejo which is near a small town call Ojo Caliente in San Luis Potosí. My parents lived in a mud brick house that was 10 ft x 15 ft and had a thatched roof. My entire life I’ve been taught to say I’m Mexican and it is not a lack of pride in that fact that repeatedly draws me towards the search for something more. When I was a kid learning Texas history I recall looking at pages within the history book and thinking that looks like me as images of indigenous peoples were depicted with its pages. Features like my nose ears made other children make fun and call me tonto like in the Lone Ranger stories. Even as I read about the Mestizos or half Spanish half natives I thought to myself could this be me. Yet I was taught to shun these beliefs and instead take pride in the fact that I was Mexican. While filling out forms I have always been torn by the sight of a check box that requires I say I’m with indigenous or Mexican. My efforts to learn more about my lost cultural history has brought me to the realization and recognition that I am likely if the Pame peoples. I hope to one day establish a clearer understanding of who I am through the knowledge of where I come from. Thank you to all who have posted reading your individual experiences has made me feel not so alone in the journey good luck to you all.

  14. I just found out I am 59-64% Native American from Northern Mexico but I grown up in foster care and I really like to know more about where I come from

    • Thanks for your question. I would recommend contacting the Library’s Local History and Genealogy Reference Service to learn more. You can find them here: https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

  15. Hello my name is Jose Carlos Hernandez. I just found out that I am a 44% indigenous Americas-mexico. Now my question is, is there anybody helpful not just to my concern, but to all of our concerns in regard to our DNA test results?. According to my last researched those who have over 25% of indigenous Americas blood are automatically part of the Native American tribes, due that our ancestry is from the first tribes who owned the land in North and south America. Our Ancestors were here even before the arrival of the Indian Asians who arrive to Canada and then wen down to north America and later on became the knows native Americans. If there is some one to help please help us to find our rights as native Americans. Please.

    • Thanks for your question. I would recommend contacting the Library’s Local History and Genealogy Reference Service to learn more. You can find them here: https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

  16. I love learning about things like these it’s so sad that a bunch of tribes where not identified/lost

  17. I have also found out I am 30%, and I can trace my ancestors back to the Sonora Mexico area. I have been trying to find if I belong to a specific tribe. I would like to find out so I can learn traditions and history to teach my kids. Robert Brammer, I’ve looked at the website/ library, can you tell me a specific area to look within the library please?

    • Hello. I would recommend that you start by speaking with our Local History and Genealogy Division. You can contact them here. https://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

  18. How do I access the Indigenous Law Portal so I can look at the map of the 62 tribes mentioned? I am taking a history course and would appreciate this resource. Thank you.

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