Lastra has worked with linguistic documentation and dialectology of the
Nahuatl and
Otomi languages and is recognized as a leading authority in the studies of
Oto-Pamean languages in general. Her 1986 book Áreas dialectales del Náhuatl moderno is the single most comprehensive work on the dialectology of modern Nahuatl ever published.[2]
— (2000). "Otomí language shift and some recent efforts to reverse it". In
Fishman, Joshua (ed.). Can threatened languages be saved? Reversing Language Shift, Revisited: A 21st Century Perspective. Multilingual Matters Ltd.
ISBN1-85359-492-X.
— (2001). Unidad y diversidad de la lengua. Relatos otomíes (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto de investigaciones Antropológicas.
ISBN968-36-9509-4.
Lastra, Yolanda (2006). Los Otomies - Su lengua y su historia (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto de investigaciones Antropológicas.
ISBN978-970-32-3388-5.
— (1992). El Otomí de Toluca (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto de investigaciones Antropológicas.
ISBN968-36-2260-7.