Mayan Communities

Throughout Guatemala there are numerous Mayan villages, towns and cities. Over half of Guatemala's populations is Maya! These people all share a similar ancestors, history and traditions. However, each tribe also has its special and distinctive qualities. For example, in historic times before the Spanish conquest, Mayan tribes in different areas were influenced by different invading tribes from Mexico, such as the Aztec. This inspired a variety of cultural changes in each Mayan community.

The most defining difference between Mayan tribes are their indigenous languages. In Guatemala there are 24 different languages spoken: 21 are indigenous mayan languages, plus Spanish, Xinka and Garífuna! Many tribes have been able to conserve the tradition of their ancient language. In these areas, the Mayan language remains the dominant language while Spanish is largely reserved for communicating with people outside of the local community. Because Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, most school classes are instructed in Spanish. Recently, however, in an effort to provide students increased academic support and to preserve Mayan culture, many communities have developed bilingual schools. In these schools, students learn to read and write in their native language before they transfer these skills to Spanish in the upper elementary grades.