Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán
Encyclopedia
Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán was a Mexican
anthropologist
known for his studies of marginal populations. His work has focused on Afro-Mexican
populations. He was the director of the National Indigenous Institute
and as Assistant Secretary for Popular Culture and Extra Curricular Education he was responsible for forming policy towards indigenous populations. For this reason he is important in the field of applied anthropology
.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
known for his studies of marginal populations. His work has focused on Afro-Mexican
Afro-Mexican
People of African descent in Mexico is a term mainly used outside of Mexico to identify Mexicans of predominantly African ancestry. Now largely assimilated into the general population, Afro Mexicans historically have been located in certain communities, most notably in two coastal areas of Guerrero...
populations. He was the director of the National Indigenous Institute
National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples
The National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples is a decentralized agency of the Mexican Federal Public Administration. It was founded in 2003 as a replacement for the National Indigenist Institute . It has its headquarters in Mexico City and, since 15 December 2006, has been...
and as Assistant Secretary for Popular Culture and Extra Curricular Education he was responsible for forming policy towards indigenous populations. For this reason he is important in the field of applied anthropology
Applied anthropology
Applied anthropology refers to the application of the method and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems. In as much as anthropology traditionally entails four sub-disciplines--Archaeology, biological/physical, cultural/social, and linguistic anthropology—the...
.