Mayan languages

language family spoken in Mesoamerica

The Mayan languages ares a group of languages spoken in Central America and Mesoamerica.[1]

Page 9 of the Dresden Codex showing the classic Mayan language written in Mayan hieroglyphs (from the 1880 Förstermann edition)

Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million native Maya. Most of them are in Guatemala, Mexico or Belize. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name,[2] and Mexico recognises eight others.

The Mayan languages are some of the best documented and most studied in the Americas.[3] Modern Mayan languages come from Proto-Mayan, a language that was probably spoken at least 5000 years ago. It has been partly reconstructed.

References