SINCE ONLY ONE FOURTH OF THE POPULATION SPOKE SPANISH, THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION, EDUCATION BEFORE 1955 WAS ESSENTIALLY PRECLUDED FOR 150,000 MIXTECAN INDIANS LIVING IN SOUTHERN OAXACA, MEXICO. IN 1955, 7 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE NATIONAL INDIAN INSTITUTE, WITH TEACHERS FROM THE LOCAL POPULATION AND INSTRUCTION IN MIXTECO, THE TRIBAL TONGUE. SPANISH WAS TAUGHT USING CONVERSATIONAL TECHNIQUES WHICH COULD BE PRACTICED. AGE AND SEX WERE FOUND TO BE CRUCIAL VARIABLES IN LEARNING STYLES. OLDER BOYS WERE ACCUSTOMED TO STRENUOUS WORK, AND EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY IN WRITING DUE TO POOR HAND MUSCLE CONTROL. GIRLS OF THE SAME AGE DISPLAYED A FACILITY FOR WRITING ATTRIBUTED TO MUSCULAR COORDINATION ATTAINED LEARNING TO SPIN, WEAVE, AND SEW. OLDER STUDENTS OF BOTH SEXES WERE EXTREMELY TIMID. WITHIN 4 MONTHS, MIXTECAN CHILDREN KNEW THE RUDIMENTS OF READING AND WRITING, AND WITHIN 9 MONTHS MOST CHILDREN COULD READ AND WRITE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND SPANISH. THESE RESULTS WERE ATTRIBUTED TO TEACHERS WHO WERE FAMILIAR WITH LOCAL CULTURAL PATTERNS, AND TO PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED PRIMERS THAT RELATED LESSON MATERIAL TO THE CHILDREN'S DAILY LIVES. AFTER 2 YEARS IN AN INSTITUTE SCHOOL, A CHILD COULD ENTER A SPANISH-LANGUAGE FEDERAL SCHOOL AT THE SECOND OR THIRD GRADE LEVEL. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE SYMPOSIUM ON CROSS-CULTURAL COGNITIVE STUDIES, AERA MEETING (CHICAGO, 1968). (DA)