Maya peoples - wikipedia Maya peoples Maya Young Mayan women in traditional dress, Antigua, Sacatepéquez Department, Guatemala The Maya area within Mesoamerica Total population c. 7 million ( 2000 ) Pre-Columbian : 5 - 10 million Regions with significant populations Parts of modern - day countries of Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador Languages Mayan languages, Spanish, Kriol and English Religion Christianity and Maya religion The Maya people are a group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. They inhabit southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. The overarching term `` Maya '' is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region that share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage ; however, the term embraces many distinct populations, societies, and ethnic groups that each have their own particular traditions, cultures, and historical identity. The pre-Columbian Maya population was approximately eight million. There were an estimated seven million Maya living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala, southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras have managed to maintain numerous remnants of their ancient cultural heritage. Some are quite integrated into the majority hispanicized 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. The largest populations of contemporary Maya inhabit Guatemala, Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador, as well as large segments of population within the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, and Chiapas. Contents 1 Yucatec Maya 2 Chiapas 3 Belize 4 Tabasco 5 Guatemala 5.1 Genocide in Guatemala 5.2 Maya heritage 6 Maya cultural heritage tourism 7 Notable Maya people 8 Quotes 9 Film and television 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 Further reading 14 External links Yucatec Maya Map of Maya linguistic distribution Maya civilization People Society Languages Writing Religion Mythology Sacrifice Cities Architecture Astronomy Calendar Stelae Art Textiles Trade Music Dance Medicine Cuisine Warfare History Preclassic Maya Classic Maya collapse Spanish conquest of the Maya Yucatán Chiapas Guatemala Petén One of the largest groups of modern Maya can be found in Mexico 's Yucatán State and the neighboring states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and in Belize. These peoples commonly identify themselves simply as `` Maya '' with no further ethnic subdivision ( unlike in the Highlands of Western Guatemala ). They speak the language which anthropologists term `` Yucatec Maya '', but is identified by speakers and Yucatecos simply as `` Maya ''. Among Maya speakers, Spanish is commonly spoken as a second or first language. There is a significant amount of confusion as to the correct terminology to use -- Maya or Mayan -- and the meaning of these words with reference to contemporary or pre-Columbian peoples, to Maya peoples in different parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and to languages or peoples. oxlahun ahau u katunil u 13 he '' cob cah mayapan : maya uinic u kabaob : uaxac ahau paxci u cabobi : ca uecchahi ti peten tulacal : uac katuni paxciob ca haui u maya - bulub ahau u kaba u katunil hauci u maya kabaob maya uinicob : christiano u kabaob `` Ahau was the katun when they founded the cah of Mayapan ; they were ( thus ) called Maya men. In 8 Ahau their lands were destroyed and they were scattered through out the peninsula. Six katun after they were destroyed they ceased to be called Maya ; 11 Ahau was the name of the katun when the Maya men ceased to be called Maya ( and ) were called Christians. '' `` '' Chilam Balam Chumayel Linguists refer to the Maya language as Yucatec or Yucatec Maya to distinguish it from other Mayan languages. This norm has often been misinterpreted to mean that the people are also called Yucatec Maya ; that term refers only to the language, and the correct name for the people is simply Maya ( not Mayans ). Maya is one language in the Mayan language family. Thus, to refer to Maya as Mayans would be similar to referring to Spanish people as Romantics because they speak a language belonging to the Romance language family. Confusion of the term Maya / Mayan as an ethnic label occurs because Maya women who use traditional dress identify by the ethnic term mestiza and not Maya. Persons use a strategy of ethnic identification that Juan Castillo Cocom refers to as `` ethnoexodus '' -- meaning that ethnic self - identification as Maya is quite variable, situational, and articulated not to processes of producing group identity, but of escaping from discriminatory processes of sociocultural marginalization. The Yucatán 's indigenous population was first exposed to Europeans after a party of Spanish shipwreck survivors came ashore in 1511. One of the sailors, Gonzalo Guerrero, is reported to have taken up with a local woman and started a family ; he became a counselor among a local polity near present - day Chetumal. Later Spanish expeditions to the region were led by Córdoba in 1517, Grijalva in 1518, and Cortés in 1519. From 1528 to 1540, several attempts by Francisco Montejo to conquer the Yucatán failed. His son, Francisco de Montejo the Younger, fared almost as badly when he first took over : while desperately holding out at Chichen Itza, he lost 150 men in a single day. European diseases, massive recruitment of native warriors from Campeche and Champoton, and internal hatred between the Xiu Maya and the lords of Cocom eventually turned the tide for Montejo the Younger. Chichen Itza was conquered by 1570. In 1542, the western Yucatán Peninsula also surrendered to him. Chichen Itza 's El Castillo Historically, the population in the eastern half of the peninsula was less affected by and less integrated with Hispanic culture than the western half. In the 21st century in the Yucatán Peninsula ( Mexican states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo ), between 750,000 and 1,200,000 people speak Mayan. However, three times more than that are of Maya origins, hold ancient Maya surnames, and do not speak Mayan languages as their first language. Matthew Restall, in his book The Maya Conquistador, mentions a series of letters sent to the King of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. The noble Maya families at that time signed documents to the Spanish Royal Family ; surnames mentioned in those letters are Pech, Camal, Xiu, Ucan, Canul, Cocom, and Tun, among others. A large 19th - century revolt by the native Maya people of Yucatán ( Mexico ), known as the Caste War of Yucatán, was one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. For a period the Maya state of Chan Santa Cruz was recognized as an independent nation by the British Empire, particularly in terms of trading with British Honduras. Dr. Francisco Luna Kan is a Maya having the very common surname `` Kan '' Francisco Luna - Kan was elected governor of the state of Yucatán from 1976 to 1982. Luna - Kan was born in Mérida, Yucatán, and he was a Doctor of medicine, then a Professor of Medicine before his political offices. He was first appointed as overseer of the state 's rural medical system. He was the first Governor of the modern Yucatán Peninsula to be of full Maya ancestry. In the early 21st century, dozens of politicians, including Deputies, Majors and Senators, are of full or mixed Maya heritage from the Yucatán Peninsula. Maya family from Yucatán According to the National Institute of Geography and Informatics ( Mexico 's INEGI ), in Yucatán State there were 1.2 million Mayan speakers in 2009, representing 59.5 % of the inhabitants. Due to this, the cultural section of the government of Yucatán began on - line classes for grammar and proper pronunciation of Maya. Maya people from Yucatán Peninsula living in the United States of America have been organizing Maya language lessons and Maya cooking classes since 2003 in California and other states : clubs of Yucatec Maya are registered in Dallas and Irving, Texas ; Salt Lake City in Utah ; Las Vegas, Nevada ; and California, with groups in San Francisco, San Rafael, Chino, Pasadena, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Inglewood, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, San Fernando Valley and Whittier. Chiapas Maya populations in Chiapas. The area officially assigned to the Lacandon Community is the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, which partly overlaps with the Tzeltal, Tojolabal and Ch'ol areas Chiapas was for many years one of the regions of Mexico that was least touched by the reforms of the Mexican Revolution. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation, launched a rebellion against the Mexican state, Chiapas in January 1994, declared itself to be an indigenous movement and drew its strongest and earliest support from Chiapan Maya. Today its number of supporters is relevant. ( see also the EZLN and the Chiapas conflict ) Maya groups in Chiapas include the Tzotzil and Tzeltal, in the highlands of the state, the Tojolabalis concentrated in the lowlands around Las Margaritas, and the Ch'ol in the jungle. ( see map ) The most traditional of Maya groups are the Lacandon, a small population avoiding contact with outsiders until the late 20th century by living in small groups in the Lacandon Jungle. These Lacandon Maya came from the Campeche / Petén area ( north - east of Chiapas ) and moved into the Lacandon rain - forest at the end of the 18th century. In the course of the 20th century, and increasingly in the 1950s and 1960s, other people ( mainly the Maya and subsistence peasants from the highlands ), also entered into the Lacandon region ; initially encouraged by the government. This immigration led to land - related conflicts and an increasing pressure on the rainforest. To halt the migration, the government decided in 1971 to declare a large part of the forest ( 614,000 hectares, or 6140 km ) a protected area : the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. They appointed only one small population group ( the 66 Lacandon families ) as tenants ( thus creating the Lacandon Community ), thereby displacing 2000 Tzeltal and Ch'ol families from 26 communities, and leaving non-Lacandon communities dependent on the government for granting their rights to land. In the decades that followed the government carried out numerous programs to keep the problems in the region under control, using land distribution as a political tool ; as a way of ensuring loyalty from different campesino groups. This strategy of divide and rule led to great disaffection and tensions among population groups in the region. ( see also the Chiapas conflict and the Lacandon Jungle ). Belize This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( January 2012 ) The Maya population in Belize is concentrated in the Corozal, Cayo, Toledo and Orange Walk districts, but they are scattered throughout the country. The Maya are thought to have been in Belize and the Yucatán region since the second millennium BC. Much of Belize 's original Maya population died as a result of new infectious diseases and conflicts between tribes and with Europeans. They are divided into the Yucatec, Kekchi, and Mopan. These three Maya groups now inhabit the country. The Yucatec Maya ( many of whom came from Yucatán, Mexico to escape the Caste War of the 1840s ) there have been evidence of several Yucatec Maya groups living by the Yalbac area of Belize and in the Orange Walk district near the present day Lamanai at the time the British reach. The Mopan ( indigenous to Belize but were forced out by the British ; they returned from Guatemala to evade slavery in the 19th century ), and Kek'Chi ( also fled from slavery in Guatemala in the 19th century ). The later groups are chiefly found in the Toledo District. Tabasco This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( January 2012 ) The Mexican state of Tabasco is home to the Chontal Maya. Guatemala Ixil women in Nebaj, Guatemala. In Guatemala, indigenous people of Maya descent comprise around 40 % of the population. The largest and most traditional Maya populations are in the western highlands in the departments of Baja Verapaz, Quiché, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, and San Marcos ; their inhabitants are mostly Maya. The Maya people of the Guatemala highlands include the Achi, Akatek, Chuj, Ixil, Jakaltek, Kaqchikel, K'iche ', Mam, Poqomam, Poqomchi ', Q'anjob'al, Q'eqchi ', Tz'utujil and Uspantek. The Q'eqchi ' live in lowland areas of Alta Vera Paz, Peten, and Western Belize. Over the course of the succeeding centuries a series of land displacements, re-settlements, persecutions and migrations resulted in a wider dispersal of Q'eqchi ' communities, into other regions of Guatemala ( Izabal, Petén, El Quiché ). They are the 2nd largest ethnic Maya group in Guatemala ( after the K'iche ' ) and one of the largest and most widespread throughout Central America. In Guatemala, the Spanish colonial pattern of keeping the native population legally separate and subservient continued well into the 20th century. This resulted in many traditional customs being retained, as the only other option than traditional Maya life open to most Maya was entering the Hispanic culture at the very bottom rung. Because of this many Guatemalan Maya, especially women, continue to wear traditional clothing, that varies according to their specific local identity. The southeastern region of Guatemala ( bordering with Honduras ) includes groups such as the Ch'orti '. The northern lowland Petén region includes the Itza, whose language is near extinction but whose agro-forestry practices, including use of dietary and medicinal plants may still tell us much about pre-colonial management of the Maya lowlands. Genocide in Guatemala Main article : Guatemalan genocide During the 1980s the indigenous Maya community made up about two - thirds of Guatemala 's 10 million people. During his presidency ( 1982 -- 1983 ), Efraín Ríos Montt instituted a campaign of state terror intended to destroy the Mayas in the name of countering `` communist subversion '' and ridding the country of its indigenous culture. In some areas, government forces killed about 40 % of the total population ; the campaign destroyed at least 440 Mayan villages. The army attacked inhabitants, and burned down their homes and fields. The 36 year long Guatemalan Civil War left more than 200,000 people dead and at least 100,000 women raped ; most of the victims were Maya. On January 26, 2012 former president Ríos Montt was formally indicted in Guatemala and appeared in court for genocide and crimes against humanity for which he was then sentenced to a sentence of 80 years in prison on May 10, 2013. This ruling was overturned by the constitutional court on May 20, 2013 over alleged irregularities in the handling of the case. The ex-president appeared in court again on January 5, 2015 amongst protest form his lawyers regarding his health conditions and on August 25, 2015 it was deliberated that a re-trial of the 2013 proceedings could find Ríos Montt guilty or not, but that the sentence would be suspended. Maya heritage This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2012 ) Guatemalan girls in their traditional clothing from the town of Santa Catarina Palopó on Lake Atitlán The Maya people are known for their brightly colored, yarn - based, textiles that are woven into capes, shirts, blouses, huipiles and dresses. Each village has its own distinctive pattern, making it possible to distinguish a person 's home town. Women 's clothing consists of a shirt and a long skirt. The Maya religion is Roman Catholicism combined with the indigenous Maya religion to form the unique syncretic religion which prevailed throughout the country and still does in the rural regions prior to 2010s of `` orthodoxing '' the western rural areas by Christian Orthodox missionaries. Beginning from negligible roots prior to 1960s, however, Protestant Pentecostalism has grown to become the predominant religion of Guatemala City and other urban centers, later to 2010s that almost of all Maya of several rural areas of West Guatemala, living rural areas were mostly mass converted from Catholicism or possibly Maya religion due of various reasons to either Eastern or Oriental Orthodoxy by late Fr. Andres Giron and some other Orthodox missionaries, and also smaller to mid-sized towns also slowly converted as well since 2013. The unique religion is reflected in the local saint, Maximón, who is associated with the subterranean force of masculine fertility and prostitution. Always depicted in black, he wears a black hat and sits on a chair, often with a cigar placed in his mouth and a gun in his hand, with offerings of tobacco, alcohol, and Coca - Cola at his feet. The locals know him as San Simon of Guatemala. Maximón, a Maya deity The Popol Vuh is the most significant work of Guatemalan literature in the K'iche ' language, and one of the most important of Pre-Columbian American literature. It is a compendium of Maya stories and legends, aimed to preserve Maya traditions. The first known version of this text dates from the 16th century and is written in Quiché transcribed in Latin characters. It was translated into Spanish by the Dominican priest Francisco Ximénez in the beginning of the 18th century. Due to its combination of historical, mythical, and religious elements, it has been called the Maya Bible. It is a vital document for understanding the culture of Pre-Columbian America. The Rabinal Achí is a dramatic work consisting of dance and text that is preserved as it was originally represented. It is thought to date from the 15th century and narrates the mythical and dynastic origins of the Toj K'iche ' rulers of Rabinal, and their relationships with neighboring K'iche ' of Q'umarkaj. The Rabinal Achí is performed during the Rabinal festival of January 25, the day of Saint Paul. It was declared a masterpiece of oral tradition of humanity by UNESCO in 2005. The 16th century saw the first native - born Guatemalan writers that wrote in Spanish. Maya cultural heritage tourism Play media A boy playing Maya trumpet opposite of Palacio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico. There is an undeniable symbiotic relationship between cultural heritage, tourism, and a national identity. In the case of the Maya, the many national identities have been constructed because of the growing demands placed on them by cultural tourism. By focusing on lifeways through costumes, rituals, diet, handicrafts, language, housing, or other features, the identity of the economy shifts from the sale of labor to that of the sale of culture. Global tourism is now considered one of the largest scale movement of goods, services, and people in history and a significant catalyst for economic development and sociopolitical change. Estimated that between 35 and 40 percent of tourism today is represented by cultural tourism or heritage tourism, this alternative to mass tourism offers opportunities for place - based engagement that frames context for interaction by the lived space and everyday life of other peoples, as well as sites and objects of global historical significance. In this production of tourism the use of historic symbols, signs, and topics form a new side that characterizes a nation and can play an active role in nation building. With this type of tourism, people argue that ethno - commerce may open unprecedented opportunities for creating value of various kinds. Tourists travel with cultural expectations, which has created a touristic experience sometimes faced with the need to invent traditions of artificial and contrived attractions, often developed at the expense of local tradition and meanings. An example of this can be seen in `` Mayanizing Tourism on Roatan Island, Honduras : Archaeological Perspectives on Heritage, Development, and Indignity. '' Alejandro j. Figueroa et al., combine archaeological data and ethnographic insights to explore a highly contested tourism economy in their discussion of how places on Roatan Island, Honduras, have become increasingly `` Mayanized '' over the past decade. As tour operators and developers continue to invent an idealized Maya past for the island, non-Maya archaeological remains and cultural patrimony are constantly being threatened and destroyed. While heritage tourism provides economic opportunities for some, it can devalue contributions made by less familiar groups. Notable Maya people See also : Category : Maya people Ah Ahaual, a 7th - century captive of noble lineage recorded in pre-Columbian Maya inscriptions Hunac Ceel ( fl. c. 1300 ), Maya general and founder of the Cocom dynasty at Chichen Itzá Apoxpalon ( fl. 1525 ), Maya merchant and regional ruler of Itzamkanac Tecun Uman ( died c. 1524 ), legendary K'iche ' Mayan leader who refused to give way to the conquistadors in Guatemala and was slain by Pedro de Alvarado Napuc Chi or Ah Kin Chi ( died c. 1541 ), general - in - chief of the army and king of Tutul - Xiu, i. e. Maní Gaspar Antonio Chi ( c. 1531 -- 1610 ), Maya noble from Maní, son of Napuc Chi Jacinto Canek ( c. 1731 -- 1761 ), Maya revolutionary Crescencio Poot ( 1820 -- 1885 ), general in the Caste War of Yucatán Felipe Carrillo Puerto ( 1874 -- 1924 ), Mexican journalist and politician, governor of the Mexican state of Yucatán ( 1922 -- 1924 ) Andrés Curruchich ( 1891 -- 1969 ), Guatemalan painter of the Kaqchikel people Carlos Mérida ( 1891 -- 1985 ), Spanish - K'iche ' artist from Guatemala Francisco Luna Kan ( born 1925 ), Mexican politician, governor of Yucatán ( 1976 -- 1982 ) Armando Manzanero Canché ( born 1935 ), Mexican musician, singer, and composer Luis Rolando Ixquiac Xicara ( born 1947 ), indigenous artist born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala Marcial Mes ( c. 1949 -- 2014 ), Belizean politician Humberto Ak'ab'al ( born 1952 ), K'iche ' poet from Guatemala Rosalina Tuyuc ( born 1956 ), Guatemalan human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú ( born 1959 ), K'iche ' political activist from Guatemala Comandanta Ramona ( 1959 -- 2006 ), ' officer ' of the autonomist Zapatista Army of National Liberation Juan Jose Pacho ( born 1963 ), Mexican former baseball player and manager Aníbal López ( 1964 -- 2014 ), Guatemalan artist Jesús Tecú Osorio ( born 1971 ), Guatemalan social activist Hilario Chi Canul ( born 1981 ), Mexican linguist Sara Curruchich ( born 1993 ), Guatemalan singer, composer, and activist from the town of San Juan Comalapa Quotes This page is a candidate to be copied to Wikiquote using the Transwiki process. If the page can be expanded into an encyclopedic article, rather than a list of quotations, please do so and remove this message. `` We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism. '' -- Rigoberta Menchú, 1992. Film and television The Forgotten District, a documentary on Maya ecotourism in southern Belize, Central America Mayan Renaissance starring Rigoberta Menchú ( 2012 ) See also Musica people Acala Ch'ol Chinamita Genetic history of indigenous peoples of the Americas Indigenous peoples of the Americas Kejache Lakandon Ch'ol List of Mayan languages Manche Ch'ol References ^ Jump up to : Indigenous Peoples of the World : The Maya. Intercontinentalcry.org. Retrieved on 2014 - 04 - 27. ^ Jump up to : Nations, James D. ( 1 January 2010 ). The Maya Tropical Forest : People, Parks, and Ancient Cities. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 292 - 77877 - 1. Jump up ^ `` The pre Columbian Civilisations of Central America - The Mesoamericans - Causes and Consequences of the Medieval Warm Period ''. sites.google.com. Jump up ^ Restall 2004, p. 67. Jump up ^ OSEA, Open School of Ethnography and Anthropology. `` Maya or Mayans ? On Correct Use of Terms ''. Retrieved 2 May 2011. Jump up ^ Castaneda, Quetzil ( 2004 ). `` We Are Not Indigenous '' ( PDF ). Journal of Latin American Anthropology. 9 ( 1 ) : 36 -- 63. Retrieved 2 May 2011. Jump up ^ Ethnoexodus : Maya Topographic Ruptures. I09.cgpublisher.com ( 2009 - 06 - 05 ). Retrieved on 2014 - 04 - 27. Jump up ^ Castillo Cocom, Juan A. ( 2007 ). `` Maya Scenarios '' ( PDF ). Kroeber Papers. 96 : 13 -- 35. ^ Jump up to : Clendinnen, Inga ( 1989 ) Ambivalent Conquests : Maya and Spaniard in Yucatán, 1517 -- 1570. p. 34. ISBN 0 - 521 - 37981 - 4 Jump up ^ Restall, Matthew ( 1998 ). Maya Conquistador. Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon. pp. xvi, 254. Jump up ^ Reed, Nelson ( 2002 ) The Caste War of Yucatán : Stanford University Press, ISBN 0 - 8047 - 4001 - 1 Jump up ^ El Universal, el periódico de México líder en noticias y clasificados. El-universal.com.mx. Retrieved on 2014 - 04 - 27. Jump up ^ Noticias Indemaya. Indemaya.gob.mx. Retrieved on 2014 - 04 - 27. ^ Jump up to : Bienvenidos / Welcome. Yucatecos.org. Retrieved on 2014 - 04 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Belize Mission Collection ''. Jump up ^ `` Wayback Machine '' ( PDF ). archive.org. 13 November 2011. Jump up ^ Republica de Guatemala. inforpressca.com Jump up ^ Atran, Scott ; Lois, Ximena ; Ucan Ek ', Edilberto ( 2004 ) Plants of the Peten Itza Maya, Memoirs of the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, 38 Jump up ^ Summerfield, Derek ( 1997 ). `` The Mayas of Guatemala : surviving terror ''. The Lancet. 349 ( 9045 ) : 130. doi : 10.1016 / s0140 - 6736 ( 05 ) 63260 - 6. Jump up ^ Brinton Lykes, M. ( 1994 - 02 - 01 ). `` Terror, silencing and children : International, multidisciplinary collaboration with Guatemalan Maya communities ''. Social Science & Medicine. 38 ( 4 ) : 543 -- 552. doi : 10.1016 / 0277 - 9536 ( 94 ) 90250 - X. Jump up ^ Brett, R.L. ( 2016 ). `` The Origins and Dynamics of Genocide : Political Violence in Guatemala ''. Jump up ^ `` Guatemala 's Rios Montt found guilty of genocide ''. BBC News. 2013 - 05 - 11. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Guatemala 's top court annuls Rios Montt genocide conviction ''. archive.is. 2013 - 06 - 16. Archived from the original on 2013 - 06 - 16. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ Agencies ( 2013 - 05 - 20 ). `` Ríos Montt genocide case collapses ''. The Guardian. ISSN 0261 - 3077. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Former Guatemala dictator faces genocide retrial ''. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ Press, Associated ( 2015 - 08 - 25 ). `` Guatemala court : former dictator can be tried for genocide -- but not sentenced ''. The Guardian. ISSN 0261 - 3077. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ Malkin, Elisabeth ( 2015 - 08 - 25 ). `` Genocide Retrial Is Set for Guatemalan Former Dictator ''. The New York Times. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 09. Jump up ^ `` News ''. Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE. Archived from the original on 2015 - 12 - 11. Jump up ^ Akkeren 1999, pp. 281, 288. Jump up ^ Comaroff, John L. ; Jean Comaroff ( 2010 ). `` Ethnicity, Inc ''. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. Jump up ^ Stronza, Amanda ( 2001 ). `` Anthropology of Tourism : Forging New Ground for Ecotourism and Other Alternatives ''. Annual Review of Anthropology. 30 ( 30 ) : 261 -- 83. doi : 10.1146 / annurev. anthro. 30.1. 261. Jump up ^ Lefebvre, Henri ( 1974 ). The Production of Space. London : Wiley - Blackwell. Jump up ^ Soper, Anne K. ; Charles E. Greer ; Daniel C. Knudsen ( 2008 ). `` Mauritian Landscapes of Culture, Identity, and Tourism ''. Landscape, Tourism, and Meaning : 51 -- 64. Jump up ^ Smith, Laurajane ( 2007 ). Cultural Heritage : Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. London : Routledge. p. 104. Jump up ^ Lyon, Sarah ; E. Christian Wells ( 2012 ). `` Ethnographies of Global Tourism : Cultural Heritage, Economic Encounters, and the Redefinition of Impact ''. Jump up ^ Quote taken from an interview with her by a representative of a Central American human rights organization ( Riis - Hansen 1992 ). Menchú gave this interview shortly before she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Bibliography Akkeren, Ruud van ( July 1999 ). `` Sacrifice at the Maize Tree : Rab'inal Achi in its historical and symbolic context ''. Ancient Mesoamerica. New York : Cambridge University Press. 10 ( 2 ) : 281 -- 295. doi : 10.1017 / s0956536199102104. ISSN 0956 - 5361. OCLC 364022517. ( subscription required ) Chiappari, Christopher L. ( 2002 ). `` Toward a Maya Theology of Liberation : The Reformulation of a `` Traditional '' Religion in the Global Context ``. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 41 ( 1 ) : 47 -- 67. doi : 10.1111 / 1468 - 5906.00099. Grube, Nikolai ( 2006 ). `` Maya Today -- From Indios Deprived of Rights to the Maya Movement ''. In Nikolai Grube ( Ed. ). Maya : Divine Kings of the Rain Forest. Eva Eggebrecht and Matthias Seidel ( assistant Eds. ). Cologne : Könemann Press. pp. 417 -- 425. ISBN 3 - 8331 - 1957 - 8. OCLC 71165439. CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list ( link ) Mooney, James, Herbermann, Charles, ed. ( 1913 ). `` Maya Indians ''. Catholic Encyclopedia. New York : Robert Appleton Company. Restall, Matthew ( 1997 ). The Maya World. Yucatecan Culture and Society, 1550 -- 1850. Stanford : Stanford University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8047 - 3658 - 9. Riis - Hansen, Anders ( 1992 ). `` Interview with Rigoberta Menchu Tum ''. Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America ( CODEHUCA ). Retrieved 2006 - 07 - 03. Warren, Kay B. ( 1998 ). Indigenous Movements and Their Critics : Pan-Maya Activism in Guatemala. Princeton : Princeton University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 691 - 05882 - 5. Further reading Voss, Alexander ( 2006 ). `` Astronomy and Mathematics ''. In Nikolai Grube ( ed. ). Maya : Divine Kings of the Rain Forest. Eva Eggebrecht and Matthias Seidel ( assistant eds. ). Cologne : Könemann. pp. 130 -- 143. ISBN 3 - 8331 - 1957 - 8. OCLC 71165439. CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list ( link ) Wagner, Elizabeth ( 2006 ). `` Maya Creation Myths and Cosmography ''. In Nikolai Grube ( ed. ). Maya : Divine Kings of the Rain Forest. Eva Eggebrecht and Matthias Seidel ( Assistant eds. ). Cologne : Könemann. pp. 280 -- 293. ISBN 3 - 8331 - 1957 - 8. OCLC 71165439. CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list ( link ) Mesoamerica portal Mexico portal Indigenous peoples of the Americas portal External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maya peoples. Maya civilization History Preclassic Maya Classic Maya collapse Spanish conquest Chiapas Guatemala Petén Yucatán Topics Architecture E-Group Triadic pyramid Twin - pyramid complex Art Graffiti Ceramics Cities Cuisine Dance Economy Trade Maritime trade Languages Classic Script List Mayanist Medicine Music Mythology Numerals People Sites Stelae Textiles Warfare Society Childhood Women Midwifery Religion Priesthood Sacrifice Human sacrifice Death rituals Social classes Ajaw Rulers Households Calendar Ajaw Baktun Haab ' K'atun K'in Tun Tzolk'in Winal Literature Annals of the Cakchiquels Chilam Balam Codices Dresden Grolier Madrid Paris Popol Vuh Rabinal Achí Ritual of the Bacabs Songs of Dzitbalche Título C'oyoi Título de Totonicapán Deities Classic Bacab Chaac Death gods God L Goddess I Hero Twins Howler monkey gods Itzamna Ixchel Jaguar gods K'awiil Kinich Ahau Maize god Mam Moon goddess Yopaat Post-Classic Acat Ah - Muzen - Cab Akna Chin Hunab Ku Ixtab Kukulkan Yum Kaax Popol Vuh Awilix Camazotz Hun Hunahpu Huracan Jacawitz Q'uq'umatz Tohil Vucub Caquix Xmucane and Xpiacoc Xquic Zipacna Kings B'alaj Chan K'awiil Ha ' K'in Xook Itzam K'an Ahk II K'ak ' Tiliw Chan Yopaat K'inich Janaab ' Pakal K'inich Yat Ahk II K'inich Yax K'uk ' Mo ' K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil Yo'nal Ahk III Yuknoom Ch'een II Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk ' Queens Lady Eveningstar Lady of Itzan Lady of Tikal Lady Xoc Sak K'uk ' Wak Chanil Ajaw Yohl Ik'nal Indigenous peoples of Mexico More than 100,000 people Nahua Maya Zapotec Mixtec Otomi Totonac Tzotzil Tzeltal Mazahua Mazatec Huastec Ch'ol Chinantec Purépecha Mixe Tlapanec Tarahumara 20,000 -- 100,000 people Mayo Zoque Chontal Maya Popoluca Chatino Amuzgo Tojolabal Huichol Tepehuán Triqui Cora Mam Yaqui Cuicatec Huave 1,000 -- 20,000 people Tepehua Kanjobal Pame Chichimeca Jonaz Guarijio Chuj Chocho Tacuate Mexicanero Ocuiltec Pima Bajo Jacaltec Less than 1,000 people Kekchí Lacandon Ixcatecos Seri K'iche ' Motozintleco Kaqchikel Paipai Tohono O'odham Cocopah Kumiai Kikapú Cochimí Ixil Kiliwa Aguacatec Opata Ancestry and ethnicity in Guatemala Guatemalan Indians ( Maya and others ) Achi Akatek Awakatek Chuj Ch'orti ' Itza Ixil Jakaltek Kaqchikel K'iche ' Mam Mopan Poqomam Poqomchi ' Q'anjob'al Q'eqchi ' Sakapultek Sipakapense Tektitek Tz'utujil Uspantek Xinca Former and extinct Acala Ch'ol Chinamita Kejache Kowoj Lakandon Ch'ol Manche Ch'ol Pipil Tojolabal Toquegua Yalain Guatemalan mestizo Mestizo Descendants of Europeans ( whites or Criollo ) French German Italian Russian Spanish Swiss Descendants of Asians Jewish Korean Lebanese Afro - Descendants Garifuna Mulatto Zambo Americas Americans Mexicans Salvadorans Portal Eastern Christianity Cultural sphere of Christian traditions that developed since Early Christianity in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Eastern Africa, Asia Minor, Southern India, and parts of the Far East. Communions Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy Eastern Catholic Churches Assyrian Church of the East Ancient Church of the East History Eastern Orthodox Church Byzantine Empire Ecumenical council Church of the East Council of Chalcedon Iconoclastic controversy St Thomas Christians Christianization of Bulgaria Christianization of Kievan Rus ' East -- West Schism Scriptures Books Canon Old Testament New Testament Theology Hesychasm Icon Apophaticism Filioque clause Miaphysitism Dyophysitism Nestorianism Theosis Theoria Phronema Philokalia Praxis Theotokos Hypostasis Ousia Essence -- energies distinction Metousiosis  ̈ Worship Sign of the cross Divine Liturgy Iconography Asceticism Omophorion Ethnic groups with significant adherence Majorities Indo - European Armenians Aromanians Belarusians Bulgarians Greeks including Greek Cypriots Macedonians Megleno - Romanians Moldovans Montenegrins Ossetians Romanians Russians Serbs Ukrainians Afro - Asiatic Agaw Amhara Assyrians Copts Chaldean Catholics Maronites Tigrayans Turkic Chuvash Dolgans Gagauz Khakas Kryashens Yakuts Kartvelian Georgians including Svans and Mingrelians Finno - Ugric Izhorians Karelians Khanty Komi Mansi Mari Mordvins Setos Udmurts Vepsians Votes Samoyedic Enets Nenets Nganasans Selkups Chukotko - Kamchatkan Alyutors Itelmens Kereks Koryaks Dené -- Yeniseian Kets Tlingits Eskimo -- Aleut Aleuts Yupiks Northwest Caucasian Abkhazians Nakh Batsbi Minorities Adyghe Kabardians Kists Albanians Altai Arabs Buryats Chukchi Estonians Setos Kihnu Finns Inuit Malayali Oromos Romani Rusyns Saami Eastern Christianity portal Oriental Orthodoxy portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maya_peoples&oldid=838224803 '' Categories : Maya peoples Indigenous culture of the Americas Ethnic groups in Belize Ethnic groups in Mexico Ethnic groups in Guatemala Ethnic groups in Honduras Ethnic groups in El Salvador Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from January 2018 Articles with permanently dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2017 Articles to be expanded from January 2012 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012 Articles with unsourced statements from December 2016 Articles needing additional references from August 2012 All articles needing additional references Copy to Wikiquote Pages containing links to subscription - only content CS1 maint : Extra text : editors list Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Cymraeg Diné bizaad Dolnoserbski Eesti Español Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Basa Jawa Қазақша Kiswahili Кыргызча Latina Lietuvių Македонски მარგალური Nāhuatl Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Ślůnski Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська 吴语 粵語 Zazaki 中文 47 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 April 2018, at 18 : 05. 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Question: what is the largest ethnic group in mexico today
Answer: K'iche'