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Nutukay Genaro Ramírez Vásquez. Ninesik tik Witzapan tik ne metzti chiknawi ipal ne shiwit 1933, ne ikunew Juana Ramírez wan Catarino Vásquez. Nunan itekiw muchi pal ne kal, wan nuteku itekiw tik ne kojtan. Ne ume ipal Kushkatan.

My name is Genaro Ramirez Vasquez. I was born in Santo Domingo de Guzmán in September, 1933, the son of Juana Ramirez and Catarino Vasquez. My mother was a housewife, and my father worked in the fields. Both were from El Salvador.

Niktaya ne tal pal niktuka ne mil, pal tik nukal muchi nupijpilawan wan nusiwaw te kiseliat mayan. Kiunij panuk sujsul shijshiwit.

I worked the land and grew corn so that my children and wife wouldn’t go hungry. So the years went by.

—Yawi nemi se congreso ipal ne Nawataketza. Nimetzilwia ka su tikneki, weli titechpalewia iwan muchi ne tajtamachtiani.

“There is going to be a conference about the Nawat language. I am telling you because if you like, you can come and help us with all the professors.”

Naja nikilwij ka kia niaw nipewa niwitz muchi ne dojdomingo pal nikinmachtia. Kiunij nipejki nitekiti tik ne Nawataketzalis.

I accepted and said I would come on Sundays to teach them. That is how I started working on Nawat.

Kunij walajtuya se nawataketza ipal Meshikal pal tamachtia ne Nawataketzalis, wan kenhayuk kinetuya kaj kipalewia iwan muchi ne tajtamachtiani. Né ninemik kashtuli tunal iwanmet. Né nechishmatijket ka naja niweli nitaketza Nawat, wan kwak nemik ukseseyuk senputzuat teya nechajkawket ma te niu.

Then a Nahuatl speaker from Mexico came to teach the language, and once more he wanted somebody to help him with the teachers. I was there with them for two weeks. There I was recognised for my knowledge of Nawat, and afterwards I got invited to all the meetings.

¿Todos hablan náhuat?

No todos, pero muchos.

Te muchi. Sejse titaketzat wan sejse tesu welit.

No todos. Algunos hablamos y algunos no pueden.

¿Todos los niños aprenden náhuat en las escuelas de ustedes?

En algunas, todos los niños aprenden, y en otras no.

Teku wan na tekitik saya pal techma' tey timunekit. Iwan tejemet tinemit pal tikpalewiat; pal muchi tey kichat kanar tupal tejemet nusan.

Papá y mamá trabajan mucho para darnos lo que necesitamos. Y nosotros tenemos la obligación de ayudarles; porque todo lo que ellos tienen es también para nosotros.

Mis señores padres me han dicho, y yo lo veo, que quieren mucho a su familia y eso debemos hacer (nosotros) con ellos, porque así como es el padre deben ser sus hijos.

No pienses mal y trabaja bien, pues esto es todo.

Nikitztuk mijmiak teya ka ne yajyankwik. Nikitztuk takamet, wejwey tejtechan, kojkojtik tejtepet, pajpatawak iwan wejweyak ajat, iwan ajanimales miak clases, ka wan ne nuish muchi nikita kan nimutalua.

He visto muchas cosas nuevas. He visto gentes, grandes caseríos, altas montañas, largos y anchos ríos y animales de todas clases, porque con mis ojos todo lo veo en mi carrera.

Muchi ne doctores panutiwit aber asu kipajtiat. Tesu welitiwit tesu welitiwit.

"All the doctors have come to see if they could cure him; they haven't been able to, they haven't been able."

Whatever the man ate she took away from him, she took it away, she took everything, whatever he wanted to eat she took away from him.

But what they noticed was that the dog did not eat the turkey's bones and feathers. Then the whole family was left puzzled because the dog wouldn't eat the bones nor the feathers.