Native Speaker of Spanish and Zapotec, an indigenous language of Oaxaca, Mexico
Teaches
Spanish
Native
Zapotec
Native
Speaks
English
Other
Native Speaker of Spanish and Zapotec, an indigenous language of Oaxaca, Mexico
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
From MexicoLiving in McAllen, United States (03:41 UTC-06:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Sep 18, 2025
InterestsReadingFilms & TV SeriesPets & AnimalsWritingFood
I am originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and I grew up speaking not only Spanish but the indigenous language of my community, a variety of Zapotec. As a young adult, I moved to the United States, where I learned English. Eventually, I went on to earn my BA in Spanish from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and then my MA in Spanish, with a concentration in linguistics, which allowed me to produce a Master's Thesis on Zapotec. At UTRGV, I had the opportunity to not only be a student, but to become a Spanish tutor and teacher, a vocation I fell in love with. I am excited about the opportunity to continue to share my love for my languages and cultures on italki.
Me as a Teacher
I have almost 10 years of experience in various capacities helping students learn and practice Spanish. I have worked as a middle school teacher, teaching beginning and intermediate Spanish, and as a graduate student instructor and peer tutor and instructor for university students of all levels. I have had the opportunity to work both with non-native beginning students and with heritage language students, those who grew up around Spanish. I love helping others and helping them learn my native languages. As someone who learned a second language as an adult, I know how challenging, yet ultimately rewarding the process can be, and I am eager to support and help others on that journey.
My lessons & teaching style
My goal is to work individually with learners to tailor my lessons to their language learning needs and goals. I can work with Spanish learners on developing and refining their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as sharing cultural information and grammatical explanations as desired. For beginning and intermediate students I have a wide variety of practice materials available from simple worksheets to online games and quizzes. For more advanced students, I can work with them on advanced reading and writing prompts as well as personalized conversation practice. I have yet to have a student learn Zapotec but would love to develop more materials for the language.
My teaching material
Audio files
Image files
Video files
Quizzes
PDF file
Presentation slides/PPT
Flashcards
Articles and news
Text Documents
5.0
Rating
67
Students
388
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
5.0
Rating
67
Students
388
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
Spanish Lessons
Spanish
Zapotec
Trial Lesson
20 lessons completed
USD 6.00+
Conversación básica / Basic conversation
A1 - B1Conversation157 lessons completed
USD 7.50+
Package with 18% off
Español para principiantes / Spanish for beginners
A1 - A2Language Essentials51 lessons completed
USD 7.50+
Package with 18% off
Gramática / grammar
A1 - C2Language Essentials123 lessons completed
USD 7.50+
Package with 18% off
Group Lessons for Conversation, Grammar, Language Basics and more
A1 - C2Language Essentials8 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 17% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
63 Reviews
All
Spanish
Zapotec
Roxanne
2 Spanish lessons
Great lesson! Comfortable, fluid conversation with no stress.
Mar 3, 2026
Roxanne
2 Spanish lessons
Margarita is a great teacher! I am very shy about speaking and she was an excellent facilitator who got me to speak more than I ever really have in a Spanish conversation.
Feb 28, 2026
Fiona
3 Zapotec lessons
Wow! Pasé una lección muy interesante y fascinate con Maya sobre el zapoteco. Es un idioma lindo y rico, con una historia larga y fascinate. Le tengo mucho respecto para Maya por compartir y ayudar este idioma tan precioso.
Feb 21, 2026
Jannette
14 Spanish lessons
As always a great lesson! Thank you for helping me with the subjuntivo☺️
Mar 2, 2026
Kimi
22 Spanish lessons
Como siempre, fue un placer platicar con Margarita!
Feb 25, 2026
Walter Belsha
16 Spanish lessons
Margarita has helped me very much with my Spanish. She helped me learn many things that I was confused on. We reviewed my homework and corrected mistakes in a way that I am confident, that I now understand completely what I have learned.