George M Foster recently died at age 92. He spent many of his younger years in the Sierra Santa Marta just south of beautiful downtown Catemaco. The noted anthropologist was one of the first to study Popoluca and Nahuatl dialects unique to Los Tuxtlas, and among his hundreds of books, dissertations and monographs, he was one of the first to focus international attention on those Tuxtlas languages in 1951.
55 years later there are now a rash of concerns over the disappearance of these dialects.
Dozens of species have already disppeared from Los Tuxtlas. Maybe an international designation of the Popolucas as an endangered species might help these totally impoverished and ignored survivors since possibly the Olmec days, attain creditable economic survival status.
Foster Obituary:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/05/26_foster.shtml
Photo: George Foster (G. Paul Bishop photo) University of Berkeley article
55 years later there are now a rash of concerns over the disappearance of these dialects.
Dozens of species have already disppeared from Los Tuxtlas. Maybe an international designation of the Popolucas as an endangered species might help these totally impoverished and ignored survivors since possibly the Olmec days, attain creditable economic survival status.
Foster Obituary:
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2006/05/26_foster.shtml
Photo: George Foster (G. Paul Bishop photo) University of Berkeley article
