What Languages Do Modern Maya Speak?

The Maya speak more than thirty living languages today, with a combined speaker population of roughly six million people, distributed across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and a substantial diaspora in the United States, Canada, and Europe. These languages are all members of the Maya (Mayan) language family, which is itself part of the larger Mayan–Mixe–Zoquean stock. This page is an inventory of the major living Maya languages, with speaker populations, regional distributions, and notes on vitality. It is part of the broader site coverage of the living Maya: heritage and modern descendants, and links to related pages on Maya languages today, modern Maya identity, and the regional distribution of modern Maya.

The historical relationship between the modern Maya languages and the pre-Columbian Maya writing system is treated on the Maya languages from Classic to modern page; the institutional situation of the modern Maya languages (orthography reform, the ALMG, bilingual education) is treated on the Maya languages today page; and the demographic distribution of modern Maya populations is treated on the where modern Maya live page.

Major Maya languages

The following list summarizes the major living Maya languages, in approximate order of number of speakers. Estimates are necessarily rough; sources include Ethnologue, the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG), the Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas (INPI) of Mexico, and recent scholarly surveys.

K’iche’ (Kiche, Quiché)

K’iche’ is the largest Maya language by number of speakers, with around 1,000,000–1,300,000 speakers. It is spoken primarily in the central and western highlands of Guatemala, especially in the departments of El Quiché (the heartland), Totonicapán, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, and Huehuetenango. The K’iche’ heartland was the site of the pre-Columbian K’iche’ Kingdom of Q’umarkaj (Utatlán), and the Popol Vuh is the most famous K’iche’ literary text. K’iche’ is one of the Maya languages recognized by the ALMG, and is a vital language with strong intergenerational transmission.

Q’eqchi’ (Q’eqchi, K’ekchi)

Q’eqchi’ is the second-largest Maya language, with around 800,000–1,000,000 speakers. It is spoken primarily in the eastern highland department of Alta Verapaz (with Cobán as the heartland), the southern Petén, and the Toledo District of Belize. Smaller Q’eqchi’ communities are found in the Ixcán region of northern Quiché and across the border in Honduras. Q’eqchi’ is a vital language with strong intergenerational transmission, although it is increasingly affected by Spanish in urban areas. The Q’eqchi’ are the second-largest Maya ethnic group in Guatemala and the largest in Belize.

Yucatec Maya (Maaya t’aan, maya yucateco)

Yucatec Maya is the third-largest Maya language and the largest in Mexico, with around 700,000–900,000 speakers. It is spoken throughout the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico (states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, and Campeche), and by the Yucatec diaspora in Belize, the United States, and elsewhere. The Yucatec Maya are the largest Maya ethnic group in Mexico, and the language is one of the most vital in the Maya family. The heartland includes the rural areas of Yucatán, the Zona Maya of Quintana Roo, and the Yucatán communities of Belize’s Orange Walk and Corozal Districts (descendants in part of Caste War refugees). The historical relationship between the modern language and the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya is treated on the Maya languages from Classic to modern page.

Mam

Mam has around 500,000–700,000 speakers, primarily in the western highlands of Guatemala (departments of Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, and San Marcos) and in the western highlands of Chiapas (especially the Motozintla region). The cross-border Mam community is one of the most important in the region, with substantial movement between Guatemala and Mexico. Mam is a vital language with strong intergenerational transmission.

Kaqchikel (Cakchiquel)

Kaqchikel has around 400,000–500,000 speakers, primarily in the central highlands of Guatemala, including the departments of Chimaltenango, Sacatepéquez, and parts of Guatemala, Sololá, and Suchitepéquez. The Kaqchikel heartland includes the famous towns of Comalapa, Patzún, Patzicía, and San Juan Sacatepéquez. The pre-Columbian Kaqchikel capital of Iximche’ is one of the major archaeological sites of the region, and the modern Kaqchikel community has been central to the Pan-Maya movement of the 20th century. Kaqchikel is a vital language.

Tzeltal

Tzeltal is the largest Maya language in Chiapas, Mexico, with around 400,000–500,000 speakers. The Tzeltal heartland is in the eastern and northern Chiapas highlands, with major communities including Oxchuc, Tenejapa, Yajalón, Altamirano, and Sitalá. Tzeltal is a vital language with strong intergenerational transmission. The Tzeltal are one of the major bases of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas.

Tzotzil

Tzotzil has around 300,000–500,000 speakers, concentrated in the central highlands of Chiapas, especially in the municipalities of San Andrés Larráinzar, Zinacantán, Chamula, San Juan Chamula, Chenalhó, Mitontic, and Pantelhó. The Tzotzil are famous for their distinctive Catholic syncretism (especially in Chamula) and for their traditional dress and language maintenance. Tzotzil is a vital language with strong intergenerational transmission.

Smaller Maya languages

The following list summarizes smaller but significant Maya languages, organized by linguistic branch.

Cholan branch

Ch’ol (around 150,000–250,000 speakers), spoken in the northern Chiapas lowland, in the municipalities of Tila, Tumbalá, Sabanilla, and Yajalón. Ch’ol is a vital language.
Ch’orti’ (around 30,000–60,000 speakers in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador), the easternmost Maya language, spoken in the Chiquimula, Jalapa, and Zacapa departments of Guatemala, the Copán, Ocotepeque, and Lempira departments of Honduras, and small areas of El Salvador. Ch’orti’ is endangered in most of its range, with limited intergenerational transmission in Honduras and El Salvador.
Chontal (around 30,000–50,000 speakers), spoken in Tabasco, Mexico, in the municipalities of Macuspana, Tacotalpa, and Jalapa. Chontal is endangered, with limited intergenerational transmission.
Lacandon (Hach Winik) (around 700–1,500 speakers), the smallest of the Cholan languages, spoken in the Lacandon Jungle of eastern Chiapas. Lacandon is critically endangered, with a small speaker population and limited intergenerational transmission.

Tzeltalan branch (in some classifications)

The Tzeltalan branch includes Tzeltal and Tzotzil (treated above). Some classifications include Tojolabal in this branch.

Tojolabal (around 40,000–60,000 speakers), spoken in the eastern Chiapas lowland, in the Comitán and Las Margaritas regions. Tojolabal is a vital language and a major base of the Zapatista movement.

Q’anjob’alan branch

Q’anjob’al (around 70,000–100,000 speakers), spoken in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala and across the border in Chiapas, Mexico. Q’anjob’al is a vital language.
Jakalteko (Popti’) (around 40,000–60,000 speakers), spoken in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala and across the border in Chiapas. Jakalteko is a vital language.

Chujean branch

Chuj (around 60,000–80,000 speakers), spoken in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala (especially the San Mateo Ixtatán and Nentón municipalities) and across the border in Chiapas. Chuj is a vital language.
Tojolabal (sometimes classified with Chujean), see above.

Mamean branch (Western Highland)

Mam (treated above).
Ixil (around 60,000–80,000 speakers), spoken in the Ixil triangle of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal in the El Quiché department of Guatemala. Ixil is a vital language, although the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996) had a major demographic impact on the community.
Tektiteko (around 2,000–5,000 speakers), spoken in the Tectitán municipality of Huehuetenango. Tektiteko is critically endangered.
Awakateko (around 20,000–40,000 speakers), spoken in the Aguacatán and Huehuetenango municipalities. Awakateko is a vital language.

Quichean branch (Eastern Highland)

K’iche’ (treated above).
Kaqchikel (treated above).
Tz’utujil (around 40,000–60,000 speakers), spoken around the south shore of Lake Atitlán in the Sololá department, especially in Santiago Atitlán, San Pedro La Laguna, San Juan La Laguna, and San Pablo La Laguna. Tz’utujil is a vital language.
Achi (around 80,000–110,000 speakers), spoken in the Baja Verapaz department of Guatemala, especially in Rabinal, Cubulco, and San Miguel Chicaj. Achi is a vital language.
Sakapulteko (around 5,000–10,000 speakers), spoken in the Sacapulas municipality of El Quiché. Sakapulteko is endangered.
Sipakapense (around 5,000–10,000 speakers), spoken in the Sipacapa and Cabañas municipalities of San Marcos. Sipakapense is endangered.
Uspanteko (around 3,000–6,000 speakers), spoken in the Uspantán municipality of El Quiché. Uspanteko is endangered.
Poqomam (around 20,000–40,000 speakers), spoken in the Guatemala department (especially the Mixco and Chinautla municipalities) and in Escuintla. Poqomam is endangered in most of its range.
Poqomchi’ (around 40,000–90,000 speakers), spoken in the Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz departments. Poqomchi’ is a vital language, although transmission is uneven.

Yucatecan branch

Yucatec Maya (treated above).
Mopan (around 8,000–15,000 speakers), spoken in the Belize districts of Toledo and Cayo and in the Petén of Guatemala. Mopan is a vital language in the Toledo District.
Itza’ (around 100–500 speakers), spoken in the Petén of Guatemala, especially around Flores and San José on Lake Petén Itzá. Itza’ was critically endangered in the early 2000s, with only a few elderly speakers, but a revitalization effort has produced a new generation of younger learners. Itza’ is no longer considered moribund, but its future is fragile.

Huastecan branch

Wastek (Huastec) (around 80,000–100,000 speakers), the only surviving member of the Huastecan branch, spoken in the Huasteca region of Mexico (states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, and Hidalgo). The Huastec region is geographically distant from the rest of the Maya area, and the language has been isolated for centuries. Wastek is endangered, with significant language shift in progress.

Mocho’ branch

Mocho’ (Motocintleco) (around 100–200 speakers), the only surviving member of the Mocho’ branch, spoken in the Soconusco region of Chiapas. Mocho’ is critically endangered, with only a handful of speakers and minimal intergenerational transmission.

The orthography question

Maya languages are conventionally written in the unified Maya alphabet developed by the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG) in the 1980s and 1990s, with the following major conventions:

Five vowel letters: a, e, i, o, u.
Consonant letters: b, c, ch, ch’, chh, k, k’, kh, l, m, n, p, p’, q, q’, s, t, t’, th, tz, tz’, w, x, y.
Glottalized (ejective) consonants: indicated by an apostrophe after the letter, as in K’iche’, Q’eqchi’, Kaqchikel.
Tone marks: in some languages (especially Yucatec Maya, Mopan, Itza’), tone is contrastive and is marked with diacritics (e.g., k’àan “yellow,” ka’an “sky”).

The orthography question is treated in more detail on the Maya languages today page, including the alphabet reform and the differences between Guatemalan and Mexican conventions.

Language vitality and the future

The major Maya languages — Yucatec Maya, K’iche’, Q’eqchi’, Mam, Kaqchikel, Tzeltal, and Tzotzil — each have hundreds of thousands of speakers and continue to be transmitted to children in their traditional territories. They are not on the verge of extinction. Smaller languages — Ixil, Achi, Q’anjob’al, Chuj, Tojolabal, Jakalteko, Tz’utujil, Poqomam, Poqomchi’, Mam, and others — are spoken by tens of thousands to over 100,000 people and are also generally vital, although all are under pressure from Spanish.

At the other end of the spectrum, Itza’, Mocho’, Tektiteko, Sakapulteko, Sipakapense, Uspanteko, and the smaller languages are endangered to critically endangered, with limited intergenerational transmission and a small speaker base. The future of these languages depends on language revitalization efforts, which are treated in more detail on the Maya languages today page.

The broader political and cultural stakes of Maya language use are treated on the modern Maya identity and survival page.

Sources

Montejo, V. D. (2003). Maya Intellectual Renaissance: Identity, Representation, and Leadership. University of Texas Press. — link
Cojtí Cuxil, D. (1996). Configuración del pensamiento político del pueblo maya. Grupo Editorial “Quetzal Vuh”.
Stoll, D. (1999). Rigoberta Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans. Westview Press. — link
O’Neill, K. L. (2010). City of God: Pentecostalism, Soccer, and the Making of a Christian Guatemala. University of California Press. — link
Loucky, J. & Simonelli, J. (2002). Crossing the Waters: Maya and Ladino Interaction in Guatemala. Rowman & Littlefield. — link
Watanabe, J. M. (1992). Maya Saints and Souls in a Changing World. University of Texas Press. — link
Hale, C. R. (2006). Más Que Un Indio / More Than an Indian: Racial Ambivalence and the Paradox of Decolonization. SAR Press. — link
Burns, A. F. (1993). Maya in Exile: Guatemalans in Florida. Temple University Press. — link