Mayan Language

The Mayan Language

The civilization of the Maya was a prominent and legendary culture that flourished in the region of Mesoamerica that includes the modern-day countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and parts of Mexico and the Yucatan. Archaeologists have found evidence that points to the Maya civilization that dates back to 1000 BCE (Before the Christian Era), but the highpoint of the culture was during the Classical Period (250 - 900 CE), when the greatest amount of building and symbolic inscriptions can be dated to. The origins of this culture can be traced as far back as 5000 years, however. The Mayan language is comprised of a family of associated languages that are spoken in the region of the Maya, from SE Mexico to Honduras.  Though Spanish is the official language of the entire region today, many of the Mayan language are spoken by native peoples numbering approximately 3 million. 

The Mayan language is probably most commonly notable for its writing system, which was at its apex during the Mayan Classical period (200 - 900 CE). It is commonly known to researchers as Mayan Hieroglyphics. This written Mayan language was adopted from components that reflected the distinctions of the different sub-cultures of the Maya. This writing system was logosyllabic, in which a single symbol or character stands for a word.  This script was famously carved on buildings, pottery, and spiritual monuments until the 16th century, when the Spanish arrived and eventually overtook the area. Like Egyptian Hieroglyphics, the Mayan script utilized both pictures and letters to keep records, dedicate monuments and buildings, and portray myths and histories of their people.

The Mayan peoples had several regional languages that they spoke, and continue to speak today. One of the Mayan languages, known as K'iche', is spoken by more than 2 million people in the highlands of Guatemala. The K'iche' society was at its height when the Spanish arrived in Central America. Mexico has its own native Mayan language, known as Yucatec Maya. Around 900,000 people residing in the Yucatan Peninsula speak this native Mayan tongue. Many of the native Mayan languages are common primary languages spoken by people in rural areas of the region today.

Another customarily significant Mayan language is called Chol. It used to be spoken far and wide in the region, but now is limited to Chiapas (an area of Mexico) and parts of Guatemala. This and another Mayan language, called Chorti, are thought of as most closely associated to the language that shaped the famous inscriptions during the Classical Period of the Mayan civilization.

The Classic Maya language is the main language represented in Pre-Columbian carvings. It is directly linked to the modern Mayan languages Chol and Yucatec. It is not uncommon for modern speakers of these two languages to be familiar with the Classic Mayan language. Like so many other cultures that were overtaken, the Mayan people never went away completely. Despite Spanish occupation of the region in the 16th century, the Mayan cultures remained. To this very day, native Mayans, direct descendents of the fabled civilization, continue to thrive in the very regions of their ancestors.  Each faction keeps up a collection of beliefs and traditions, often uniting them together with many present-day practices, such as Roman Catholicism, which was no doubt introduced by the Spanish Conquistadors.  The modern Mayan descendents maintain considerable numbers in the regions that they have always populated, and continue to use their native Mayan language in addition to Spanish. We are fortunate that the Mayan culture has been able to overcome the trials of new people coming to their world, and that they have been able to preserve many of the rituals and traditions of their legendary ancestors. The preservation and continuation of the Mayan language is a testament to the fortitude of this renowned culture.

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