Mam

Total population
640,000
Regions with significant populations
Guatemala 617,171 [1]  Mexico 23,632 [2]
Languages
Mam, Spanish
Religion
Catholic, Evangelicalist, Maya religion
Related ethnic groups
Ixil, Tektitek

The Mam are a Native American people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico.

Most Mam (617,171) live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango.^[3][4] The Mam people in Mexico (23,632) live principally in the soconusco region of Chiapas.^[2]

In Pre-Columbian times the Mam were part of the Maya civilization, and the Mam language, still spoken as a first language by many, forms part of Maya language family.

The Pre-Columbian capital of the Mam kingdom was Zaculeu. Many Mam live in and around the nearby modern city of Huehuetenango. The city of Quetzaltenango was originally Mam. Many more Mam live in small hamlets in the mountains, keeping many of their native traditions.

[edit] References

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