Chontal Maya language
Maya language of Tabasco, Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chontal Maya, known to native speakers as Yokotʼan, is a Maya language of the Cholan family spoken in 2020 by around 60,000 Chontal Maya people of the Mexican state of Tabasco.[1] According to the National Catalog of Indigenous Languages of Mexico-INALI, Yokotʼan has at least four dialects: Nacajuca (Central), Centla (Northern), Macuspana (Southern) and Tamulte (Eastern).[2]
| Chontal Maya | |
|---|---|
| Yokotʼan | |
| Pronunciation | [jɔʔkɔʔtʼan] |
| Native to | Mexico |
| Region | North central and southern Tabasco |
| Ethnicity | Chontal Maya |
Native speakers | 61,000 (2020 census)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | chf |
| Glottolog | taba1266 |
| ELP | Chontal de Tabasco |
Geographical distribution
The Chontal Maya are concentrated in 159 settlements in 5 municipalities of Tabasco (Brown 2005:122).
Some Chontal settlements near the town of Nacajuca include (Brown 2005:116):
- El Tigre
- Saloya
- Guatacaloa
- Olcuatitan
- Tucta
- Mazatehuapa
- Tapotzingo
- Guaytalpa
- San Simón
- Tecoluta
- Oxiacapue
- Guadalupe
- El Sitio
- Tamulte
Some Chontal settlements in the northeastern Centla region include (Brown 2005:116):
- Cuauhtemoc
- Vicente Guerrero
- Allende
- Simón Sarlat
- Quitin Arauz (on the Río Usumacinta)
Chontal settlements near Macuspana include Benito Juárez and Aquiles Serdan (Brown 2005).
