Maya Language at Risk in Quintana Roo as Transmission to New Generations Declines

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — The Maya language, a key cultural identity marker for the region, is studied in countries like the United States, Germany, and Japan, but its transmission to new generations is declining in Quintana Roo, raising urgent preservation concerns.

According to data from INEGI, the national statistics agency, 82,715 people in Quintana Roo recognize they speak and understand Maya, with about 700,000 speakers across the Yucatan Peninsula. However, linguist Fidencio Briceño warned these numbers could drop drastically without immediate action to recover the language.

“These data could reduce drastically in the next generations if we don’t do something urgent to recover it,” Briceño said.

About thirty years ago, public schools promoted a campaign to use a single language, with slogans like “Practice Spanish, it’s your national language.” Now, efforts aim to reclaim Maya as an identity for Quintana Roo’s communities, but progress remains limited in practice.

Lack of Translators Limits Access to Public Services

In most rural communities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, people use Maya in daily activities like shopping and community assemblies. Barriers arise when accessing public services such as health centers, the prosecutor’s office, or municipal offices for paperwork, due to a shortage of certified Maya translators in these institutional spaces.

INMAYA in Quintana Roo, led by Eder Enrrique Chuc Cen, has committed to increasing the number of certified Maya translators. Currently, only 30 translators are certified, which officials acknowledge is insufficient.

INMAYA Seeks to Increase Certified Interpreters in Quintana Roo

According to the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), the entities with the greatest diversity of indigenous groups are Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Mexico City. Languages with the highest number of speakers include Nahuatl, Maya, Mixtec, Tseltal, Zapotec, Tsotsil, and Otomí.

In the context of International Mother Language Day, celebrated annually on February 21 since 2000 to promote preservation and protection, advocates emphasize that mother languages are crucial tools for conserving traditional cultural knowledge.

Indigenous Education and Mother Language Recovery

Maya-speaking communities have made various efforts, such as young Maya people in Tihosuco using songs in Maya to preserve this legacy. However, in formal schools—except for indigenous schools—Maya is not taught.

In secondary schools in Felipe Carrillo Puerto and Santa Rosa, one group per school receives Maya language classes following a Supreme Court order. This came after a lawsuit alleging rights violations for not being taught in their mother language during primary school. These students now take Maya classes for educational leveling, according to the head of the newly created Directorate of Indigenous Education.