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Maya peoples

Latin American and Caribbean Indigenous Peoples

The Maya are a group of related indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, descended from the builders of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization whose city-states, writing system and calendrical astronomy are extensively documented archaeologically, and today comprising more than two dozen distinct ethnolinguistic communities across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and parts of Honduras and El Salvador, unified by shared cultural heritage rather than a single language or political structure. Contemporary Maya communities, particularly in Guatemala where Maya peoples form a substantial share of the national population, have documented histories of land dispossession and, during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war, systematic violence against Maya communities that a United Nations-backed truth commission characterized as constituting acts of genocide in some regions. Maya cultural and linguistic revitalization movements are active and documented across the region today. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own account
Indigenous ethnic groups (composite category) 1
Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own account
Mesoamerica (southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras and El Salvador) 1
Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own account
Mayan languages (more than thirty distinct languages in the family, including K'iche', Yucatec Maya, Kaqchikel and Q'eqchi') 1
Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own account
Historically and, for many contemporary communities, still today, milpa swidden agriculture centered on maize, beans and squash. 1
Disputed
Population Estimate
approximately 6 to 7 million, across more than two dozen distinct Mayan-language groups 1
Sourced to the subject's own account'Maya' comprises numerous distinct contemporary ethnolinguistic groups (K'iche', Yucatec, Kaqchikel, Q'eqchi' and many others) whose individual and combined totals are drawn from differing national censuses across Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.
Population Band (category)Sourced to the subject's own account
1 to 10 Million 1
Group Type
Group Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account
Ethnic Group 1
Group Type (category)Sourced to the subject's own account
Indigenous Group 1
Subsistence Mode
Subsistence Mode (category)Sourced to the subject's own account
Agriculture 1
In the Other Atlases

Used In

Also in Language Atlas: which uses this subject.

Source Wikipedia: Maya peoplesLeadtier 3
Quote, Lead
Some are quite integrated into the majority westernised mestizo cultures of the nations in which they reside, while others continue a more traditional, culturally distinct life, often speaking one of the Mayan languages as a primary language.

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: Maya peoplesLead sectiontier 3
Quote, Lead section
Today, they primarily live in Guatemala, southeast Mexico, Belize, and westernmost El Salvador and Honduras.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: Maya peoplesLead sectiontier 3
Quote, Lead section
Today, they primarily live in Guatemala, southeast Mexico, Belize, and westernmost El Salvador and Honduras.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: Maya peoplesLead sectiontier 3
Quote, Lead section
Maya ( MY-ə, Spanish: [ˈmaʝa]) are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Wikipedia: Maya peoplesLead sectiontier 3
Quote, Lead section
Today, they primarily live in Guatemala, southeast Mexico, Belize, and westernmost El Salvador and Honduras.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Maya peoples
WikipediaIntroduction
Quote, Introduction
Maya are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica.
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