The Maya Today
Descendants of the ancient Maya abound throughout southern Mesoamerica. The population is estimated at several million, likely as many as there were at the time of conquest. Some practice traditional life ways, others have integrated into urban life, while all have adopted modern lifestyles.
The value of Maya culture is attracting more and more attention. The Mayan language is now being taught in schools and traditional medicinal plants recognized for their healing power offering potential cures to diseases like cancer, diabetes, and AIDS.
The modern Maya and researchers are working to overcome centuries of cultural suppression.
The Mayan Language
The highly developed writing system of the ancient Maya is not fully understood. The spoken language linked to the ancient Maya is found today in the lowlands of greater Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The Yucatecan family of languages has four branches:
- Lakandon
- Itza
- Mopan
- Yucatec
Maya or Mayan?
The people and the civilization are referred to as "Maya." Only the language is referred to as "Mayan."
Forest Phrases
The spoken language offers clues to the respect for nature imbedded in Maya culture and demonstrated by the Maya forest gardeners.
- Kanan K'ax. Well-cared-for forest; learned from forest; appreciated forest
- K'axil kab. Forest with beehives
- Ka'kab K'ax. Forest with good soil qualities
- Otoch K'ax. The forest is home
Based on the intricate relationship of the Mayan language to the forest environment, the Maya people have been called “folk ecologists.”