Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Chontal Maya language

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Native to
  
Mexico

Native speakers
  
37,000 (2010 census)

Ethnicity
  
Chontal Maya

ISO 639-3
  
chf

Region
  
North central and southern Tabasco

Language family
  
Mayan Cholan–Tzeltalan Cholan Chol–Chontal Chontal Maya

Chontal Maya, also known as Yoko ochoco and Acalan, is a Maya language of the Cholan family spoken by the Chontal Maya people of the Mexican state of Tabasco. Chontal Maya is spoken in Nacajuca, Centla, El Centro, Jonuta, and Macuspana. There are at least three dialects, identified as Tamulté de las Sábanas Chontal, Buena Vista Chontal, and Miramar Chontal.

Distribution

The Chontal Maya are concentrated in 159 settlements in 5 municipalities of Tabasco (Brown 2005:122).

  • Centla
  • Centro
  • Jonuta
  • Macuspana
  • Nacajuca (comprising more than 50% of the Chontal Maya population)
  • 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).

    References

    Chontal Maya language Wikipedia