Poqomam

Poqomam is a Mayan language spoken by about 10,800 people in southern Guatemala. The marjority of Poqomam speakers live in the towns of San Luis Jilotepequem, San Pedro Pinula and San Carlos Alzatate in the Jalapa Department. There are also Poqomam speakers in the towns of Chinautla and Mixco in the Guatemala Department, and in Palín in the Escuintla Department.

Poqomam is also known as Pocomán or Pokomam. Dialects include Central Poqomam, Eastern Poqomam and Southern Poqomam.

Poqomam is officially recognized in Guatemala and is supported by the Academy of Mayan Languages. It is written with the Latin alphabet, and used in some literature and the media.

There are three main varieties of Pokomam: Eastern, Southern, and Central. Some linguists consider them to be three distinct languages, but others consider them dialects of a single Pokomam language. The Pokomam languages have SVO (Subject + Verb + Object) word order.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Poqomam.

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 Kaqchikel

This is a Mayan language, also is an indigenous Mesoamerican language and a member of the Quichean–Mamean branch of the Mayan languages family. It is spoken by the indigenous Kaqchikel people in Guatemala, closely related to Kʼicheʼ.

The Annals of the Cakchiquels (also called Anales de los Cakchiqueles, Memorial de Tecpán-Atitlán, or Memorial de Sololá), written in Kaqchikel between 1571 and 1604, is considered an important example of Native American literature. It contains both mythology and historical information pertaining especially to the Kaqchikel ruling lineages.

Before conquest

Kaqchikel is spoken by the indigenous Maya in Central Guatemala. The Mayan civilization dates back to the Pre-classic period (2000 BC to 300 AD). Geographically, the Maya expanded from Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. This changed between 900 AD and when the Spanish arrived. Their settlement moved west and into the highlands of Guatemala. Archaeological evidence shows suggestions of Kaqchikel living in Iximcheʼ, which today is located near Tecpan, Guatemala.

After conquest

In 1523, the Spaniards left Mexico and headed towards Guatemala. This crusade was led by Pedro de Alvarado. His first victory was over the Kʼiche, which led him towards the Kaqchikel capital. The Kaqchikel joined forces with de Alvarado, to take over the Tzʼutujiles. Instead, their hopes to become stronger were defeated when de Alvarado turned against them and destroyed their capital, which was a part of the Spanish mass extermination plans of the indigenous. This plan decreased the number of Kaqchikel speakers, as they were required to then speak Spanish.

Present

Today, the Mayan language of Kaqchikel is being revitalized and several Mayans are using education as a way to restore their language and culture. In 1986 the Academy of the Mayan Languages of Guatemala (ALMG) discovered an alphabet for the Mayan languages, which started a new movement for linguistic conversation.

Literacy

Literacy rates in Kaqchikel are low. Literacy campaigns are usually conducted in Spanish, and promote Spanish. In fact, most Mayan people are more literate in Spanish than they are in their native tongue. However, this is changing due to the movement to promote Mayan language literacy. Kaqchikel is being taught in public schools such as Guatemala's intercultural bilingual education programs. United States universities also offer programs that give the opportunity to learn Kaqchikel, such as Tulane University and the University of Kansas.nu.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Kaqchikel.

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 Sipakapense

Sipacapense is a Mayan language. It is closely related to Quiche, and some people consider it a dialect of Quiche.

Sipacapense is spoken by about 7000 people in Guatemala. It is primarily based in the municipality of Sipacapa in the department of San Marcos.

            Sipakapense is also known as Sipaka, Sipacapa, Sipacapa Quiché, Sipacapense or Sipacapeño. The name Sipakapense comes from the Nahuatl Sipaktlipan, and means "place of the lizard".

Sipakapense is written with the Latin alphabet, although few Sipakapense speakers are literate in their language. It is an officially recognized language in Guatemala.

 

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Sipakapense.

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Tekiteko

The language, legally, is recognized in Guatemala. According to the Guatemalan Constitution, Spanish is considered the official language of the country, while the “vernacular languages” are part of the cultural heritage. In the course of recent years, many initiatives have been launched (such as the National Languages ​​Law, in 2003) in order to defend and promote the use of the languages ​​of the Mayan, Garifuna and Xinca peoples.

Tektiteko is part of the Mayan languages ​​that are standardized, protected and promoted by the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala , an autonomous state organization, created in 1990.

Vitality and transmission : Tektiteko due to the small number of speakers is probably one of the most threatened Mayan languages. And it is also one of the least studied and a lot of scientific information about this language is lacking. In the tektiteko that is currently spoken there are numerous loanwords from Spanish.

Several sources ( Ethnologue et Linguamón , among others) testify to an ever-existing transmission and a recent renewal of interest on the part of the younger generations in Tectitán. However, much remains to be done to secure the future of the language.

The tektiteko is part of Sorosoro's endangered languages ​​video documentation program. The filming took place in March 2009, with the collaboration of the linguist Juventino de Jesús Pérez Alonzo.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Tekiteko.

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Mopan

Mopan is a member of the Yucatecan branch of the Mayan language family. It is spoken in the Cayo, Stann Ceek and Toledo districs in southern Belize, particularly in San Antonio in Toledo. It is also spoken in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala, particularly in the towns of San Luis, Poptún, Melchor de Mencos, and Dolores. In 2014 there were about 10,600 speakers of Mopan in Belize, and there were about 2,010 in Guatemala in 2019. It is officially recognized in Guatemala.

Mopan is also known as Mopán Maya, Mopane or Maya Mopán.

Mopan is written with the Latin alphabet, and several different spelling systems have been used since colonial times (from the 17th century). The system shown below is the one used by the Academia de las Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG), or Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Mopan.

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Itzaʼ

Itzaʼ is also known as Icaiche Maya, Itz, Itzaj, Itzaj Maya, Itzaʼ Maya, Maya or Petén Itza’ Maya. It is an officially recognized language in Guatemala.

Itzaʼ is a Yucatecan Mayan language spoken by the Itza people mainly in the village of San José on the north shore of Lake Petén Itzaʼ in Petén department in northern Guatemala. It also used to be spoken in parts of Belize. In 2019 there were 410 native speakers of Itzaʼ, all of whom were older adults. Younger people have shifted to Spanish.

When the Yucatan Peninsula was governed from Chichen Itza between about 600 AD and 1697, Itzaʼ was the main language of administration in the area, and this was the last independent Maya nation in Mesoamerica.

Speaking Itzaʼ was banned by the government of Guatemala in the 1930s. In the 1980s the Maya people started to become increasingly interested in their culture and languages, and the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala (ALMG), or Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages, which was set up in 1990 to promote and revitalize Itzaʼ and other Mayan languages.

Itzaʼ is also known as Icaiche Maya, Itz, Itzaj, Itzaj Maya, Itzaʼ Maya, Maya or Petén Itza’ Maya. It is an officially recognized language in Guatemala.

Itzaʼ can be written with the Latin alphabet using an orthography created by the ALMG. There are some publications in the language, including a dictionary, grammar and other texts.

Itzaʼ was the language of administration across much of the Yucatán Peninsula during the supremacy of Chichen Itza. Later, the Itza people had the last independent Maya nation in Mesoamerica until 1697. During this time, the Itza people resettled their ancestral home in the Petén Basin. The subjugation of the Itza capital by the Spanish forced the Itza people to flee or live amongst the Spaniards, such as in San Jose, Guatemala, where the only modern speakers of the language live.

 

The modern Itza people are the last of the Lowland Maya to be able to directly trace their heritage back to the pre-Columbian era. The Itzaʼ language reflects this history in its nomenclature for the natural world: Itzaʼ words referring to agriculture and agricultural practices remain unchanged since first being recorded. Additionally, Itzaʼ possesses a rich vocabulary for crops and animals that encodes specific information about different varietals and individuals of the species.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Itzaʼ.

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Chuj

Chuj is a Qʼanjobalan–Chujean Mayan language spoken mainly in western Guatemala, and also in southern Mexico. There are about 58,600 speakers of Chuj in Guatemala, particularly in the municipalities of San Mateo Ixtatán, San Sebastián Coatán and Nentón in the Huehuetenango department. There are also about 2,890 speakers in Mexico, particularly in Trinitaria municipality in Chiapas state, and in the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo. The Chujean branch emerged approximately 2,000 years ago.

Chuj is also known as Chuh, Chuhe, Chuje or Chapai. The native name of the language is Koti’. There are two main dialects: San Mateo Ixtatán Chuj and San Sebastián Coatán Chuj.

Chuj is officially recognised in Guatemala. It is written with the Latin alphabet using an orthography based partly on Spanish. There are some publications in it, including a dictionary, grammar and translations of parts of the Bible.

The Chuj language has been influenced by Spanish, and Chuj speakers have a tendency to borrow Spanish words or code-mix. It is estimated that 70% of the Chuj language is purely Chuj. There are language conservation and revitalization efforts taking place in San Mateo Ixtatán, through groups like the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala.

 

At Trápaga Asociados – Interpretation & Translation Agency, we work with all Mayan languages including Chuj.

Please contact us with any job or project inquiries.

www.asociadostrapaga.com

+502 55717516