UNLCP Instructors

Ms. Sabina Cruz is a native Nahuatl speaker from Tecomate, Chicontepec, Veracruz. She is currently a research collaborator at IDIEZ and serves as an instructor in summer courses at the University of Utah; online courses during the school year with the University of New Mexico, University of Utah, University of San Diego and the University of Kansas. Ms. Cruz obtained her master’s degree in Historical Education from the Zacatecas Teacher Training Center (CAMZ) and a bachelor’s degree in Law (2012) from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ). She has also served as a Nahuatl instructor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tulane, New Orleans, Louisiana (January-April 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015) and in the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin, (2015-2017). Her research interest is the indigenous communities’ traditional medicine.

Sabina de la Cruz

Title: Colaborador, Instructor
Affiliation: IDIEZ, University of Utah
E-Mail:  sabinacruz12@gmail.com 

Mr. Abelardo de la Cruz is a Nahuatl native speaker from Tepoxteco, Chicontepec, Veracruz. Currently, he is a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Latin American Studies at The University of Utah. He received his Ph. D. in Anthropology at the University at Albany, State University of New York in 2022. He obtained his master’s degree in Humanistic and Educational Research (2015) and a bachelor’s degree in Law (2012) from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ). Over the summer he serves as a Nahuatl instructor at the University of Utah. Mr. de la Cruz is an author of the book chapters titled "The value of custom and christianity in the discourse of Nahua catechists from the huasteca region,” and “What motivates Nahuas to practice their religion of el costumbre?” His fields of interest include the teaching of Nahuatl as a second language and the Nahua religion led by catechists and prayer specialists known as “motiochihuanih” from northern Veracruz. Nowadays, he is also a recipient of the Indigenous Community Research Fellowship in charge of the American Philosophical Society.

Dr. Sullivan is a Nahuatl philologist with a Ph.D. in Hispanic literature at the University of California, San Diego (1995) and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellow (2007). In addition to holding the title of Director at Zacatecas Institute for Teaching and Research in Ethnology (IDIEZ), Classical Nahuatl instructor at the University of Utah, visiting professor at the University of Warsaw where he serves as the coordinator of the Nahuatl Revitalization Research Team within the Revitalizing Endangered Languages Project. Dr. Sullivan is also a researcher in the ERC Starting Grant project "Europe and America in contact." He holds several article and book publications with the most recent co-authorships being the article “Convergence as the driving force of typological change in Nahuatl” and the monolingual dictionary "Tlahtolxitlauhcayotl: Chicontepec, Veracruz."

Mr. Eduardo de la Cruz is a native Nahuatl speaker from Lindero 2, Chincontepec, Veracruz. He holds the position of associate director and chief operating officer at IDIEZ; in addition he serves as an instructor in summer courses at the University of Utah; online courses during the school year with the University of California Los Angeles, Stanford University, San Diego State University, University of New Mexico and the University of Michigan. Mr. de la Cruz obtained his master's degree in Humanistic and Educational Research (2015) and a bachelor’s degree in Economics (2010) from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ). He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Warsaw University’s Faculty “Artes Liberales.” He is also the author and co-author of several Nahuatl monolingual books, including "Cenyahtoc Cintli Tonacayo: Huahcapatl Huan Tlen Naman" and "Tototatahhuan Ininixtlamatliz." His main topics of study include indigenous methodologies, ceremonial practices of corn cultivation, and Nahua welfare concepts.

Gladiola Villegas Gómez is a native Nahuatl speaker from Chalingo, Huautla, Hidalgo, Mexico. She is currently studying the master’s degree in English Language Teaching from the Institute of Studies for the Professional Excellence. She studied a master’s degree in Education from the National Pedagogic University (UPN) and obtained the bachelor’s degree in English Language Teaching from the Autonomous University of Hidalgo (UAEH). She has worked in public universities as English Coordinator where she has guided especially indigenous students to get scholarships in the US and in Mexico such as the Leadership Program for Indigenous students sponsored by the US Embassy. She is the founder and Director of the International Language Institute where she teaches English and Nahuatl. Currently she is developing an intercultural project for indigenous children to work on the revitalization of Nahuatl and learn English without Spanish.

She has  obtained international awards and scholarships such as the “2013 EFL Educators Workshop” in Georgetown University by the Department of State of the US;  “IAPE 2014 Workshop” in Dartmouth College, by Worldfund and Rassias Center; “Proyecta 100,000” in California State University, Los Ángeles, 2014, by Mexican and American Government;  and the “Teacher Training Program” at The University of Texas at Austin in 2017 by the Department of International Affairs of the Public Education Ministry from Mexico. She has also obtained a Certification in International Leadership by the US Embassy in 2021.

Her main interests are research in the intercultural area, language teaching and revitalization of Nahuatl.