| The Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), also known as the Wycliffe Bible Translators, prospered in Mexico because of its ties to the state. Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas befriended SIL founder Cameron Townsend in 1936 and endorsed what was essentially a Protestant attempt to evangelize Mexico's Indians. The SIL's goal of translating the Bible into indigenous languages harmonized well with the state's desire to "Mexicanize" the Indians. Since the SIL's project necessitated the intensive study of each language, the creation of new orthographies (alphabets), and the production of primers and other written materials, it became Mexico's de facto linguistics department.;The relationship between the SIL and the Mexican state flourished until the early 1970s, when a new generation of anthropologists began to question some of the fundamental premises of their discipline. Rejecting the indigenismo that had sought to eliminate "negative" indigenous cultural traits, younger anthropologists now emphasized their duty to protect indigenous people from the harmful intrusions of Western culture. Eventually the SIL came under attack, not only for destroying indigenous culture but also for its presumed role as an ally of the CIA. In 1979 the SIL lost its contract with Mexico's education ministry and many of its translators had to leave the country.;Despite the multiple charges leveled against it in the 1970s, the SIL served the interests of Mexican state far more than it did those of the U.S. State Department. One of the main impacts of the SIL'S work was to extend the influence of the state into remote indigenous villages. In San Antonio el Grande, Hidalgo, for instance, the SIL linguists facilitated the arrival of roads, schools and electricity. The common charges that the SIL sowed division and destroyed indigenous culture are not far from the truth, but they miss the role that the SIL has played in the reformulation of ethnic identity through its encouragement of Protestantism and vernacular literacy. |
