Walter Ong's philosophical, literary and linguistic works, allow us to understand how the oral-rural mind works. On the other hand, our minds have been remodelled by literacy, school and urban life (both for the better and for the worse; and this makes us process information in a diferent way). Our problem-solving strategies vary, too, consequently, and this prevents us from reaching an agreement in situations such as the Chiapas conflict. Only through realizing what is happening, will we be able to find a long-term solution. This is an evident example of how the Humanities, today, are still proving useful for the world, and enriching the whole of human-kind. The present work makes use of Ong's theory in order to explore the Mexican native world, and its urban counterpart.