The presence of other indigenous groups besides the Maya is confirmed in Yucatán

Mérida, Yucatán.- In Yucatán, there is the presence of other indigenous groups besides the Maya, such as Choles, Chontales, Tzoles, Tzetzales, and Tojolabales, who also do their best to preserve their customs in this territory.

Cohesión Comunitaria e Innovación Social A.C., a civil society organization, identified the presence of diverse ethnic groups in the Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas, among which there are Peninsular Maya, Tzeltales, Tsotsiles, Choles, Chontales, Ixil, Kanjobal, Kenkchi, Mame, Quiche, Chuj, Chu-Kanjobal, Huave, Jacalteco, Lacandon Maya, Tojolabales, Zoques and others.

The identification of these diverse people by the organization is due to the need to locate the subjects and rights holders that inhabit, occupy or use the territory, so they must be taken into account for decisions related to the projects of different sectors that are developed in their area of influence.

In addition, the social anthropologist, Enrique Javier Rodríguez Balam, a researcher at the Peninsular Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (CEPHCIS) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has also confirmed the existence of other indigenous groups that inhabit Yucatán.

“An example of this subject is the Choles, as they have been here in Yucatan for more than 30 years and their children speak Chol, Maya, and Spanish,” shared the researcher.

Enrique Javier published his book “Choles, Mayas y Mestizos en el Sur de Yucatán”, which allowed him to deepen his knowledge of the diverse ethnic groups living in the state.

Precisely, he said that in the research he had to do for the publication of his book he corroborated that there is a relationship between ethnic groups from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula since some come from Salto de Agua or Sabanilla.

The displacement of some ethnic groups from Chiapas to Yucatan was due to diverse circumstances such as religious reasons, labor, or land problems.

In Yucatan, there are also ethnic groups from Tabasco that decided to move to the peninsula years ago. These groups try to maintain their original language, and others have learned to speak Maya and Spanish.