The Tz'utujil are a Native American people, one of the 21 Mayan ethnic groups that dwell in Guatemala. Together with the Xinkas, Garífunas (Black Caribs) and the Ladinos, they make up the 24 ethnic groups in this relatively small country. Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... This article will mostly concern itself with the Maya civilization after the conquest by Spain. ... The Garifuna or Garífuna are an ethnic group in the Caribbean area, decended from a mix of Amerindian and African people. ... The Garifuna or Garífuna are an ethnic group in the Caribbean area, decended from a mix of Native American and African people. ...

The term Tz'utujil also denotes their native language, and their nation in pre-Columbian times, a part of the ancient Maya civilization. The term Pre-Columbian is used to refer to the cultures of the New World in the era before significant European influence. ... The Maya are people of southern Mexico and northern Central America (Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador) with some 3,000 years of history. ...

The Tz'utujil People

The Tz'utujil date from the post-classic period (circa 900-1,500 A.C.) of the Maya civilization, inhabiting the southern watershed of Lake Atitlán, in the Solola region of the Guatemalan highlands. The Maya are people of southern Mexico and northern Central America (Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras, and El Salvador) with some 3,000 years of history. ... Lago de Atitlán seen from the Space Shuttle. ... Sololá Sololá is a department in Guatemala. ...

Today they dwell in the towns of San Juan La Laguna, San Pablo La Laguna, San Marcos La Laguna, San Pedro La Laguna, Santiago Atitlán and a very few in San Lucas Tolimán, although they used to inhabit a much wider region. In 1523 the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, with the help of the Kaqchikel Maya, defeated them in a battle close to the town of Panajachel in which they lost a portion of their lands, and the control of the lake. San Juan La Laguna is municipality on the southern shore of Lake Atitlan. ... Conquistador (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who achieved the Conquista (this Spanish term is generally accepted by historians), i. ... Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras (Badajoz, c. ... Panajachel is a town in the Guatemalan Highlands, to the south of the country. ... Lago de Atitlán seen from the Space Shuttle. ...

Although tourism is now an increasing source of income, many still practice traditional methods of farming of the two main crops in the region, Coffee and Maize. Coffee beans and a cup of coffee Coffee as a drink, usually served hot, is prepared from the roasted seeds (beans) of the coffee plant. ... Binomial name Zea mays L. Maize (Zea mays ssp. ...

The Tz'utujil language, which also as one of the more or less differentiated Mayan languages, is closely related to the Caqchikel language, and both are similar to the Quiché language of the neighbouring and more populous Quiché Maya. Today approximately 50.000 speak Tz’utujil as their mother tongue. Anyhow, the majority of the Tzu'tujil have Spanish as their second language, although many of the older people, or those in more remote locations do not. Many children also do not learn Spanish until they go to school around the age of five although more importance is now being placed upon it due to the influx of tourism into the region. Spanish is used in written communication. The Mayan languages are a family of related languages spoken from South-Eastern Mexico through northern Central America as far south as Honduras. ... The Quiché language is a part of the Maya language family. ... The Kiche , or Quiché in Spanish spelling, are a Native American people, part of the Maya ethnic group. ... A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. ...

See also

• Maya mythology
• Maya calendar
• Maya language