This paper provides, for the first time, a discussion about the notions of topic and focus in four Uto-Aztecan languages from the highlands of northwestern Mexico. It also proposes that although the languages are genetically, geographically, and culturally related, they have distinctive strategies for encoding the topic and focus as elements of the information structure. The paper also shows that elements for encoding the topic mark focus or contribute to the overall connectivity of a coherent discourse. Lastly, it proposes that the strategies for encoding the topic or focus are rooted in the rhetorical cultural-linguistic practices.