Itzaj T'an
Itzá Maya
Mayan
Itzá Maya (autonymously Itzaj T'an, also spelled Itza or Itzá) is a Yucatecan Mayan language of Petén, Guatemala — the last surviving language of the historic Itzá Maya, the people who founded the kingdom of Tayasal at Lake Petén Itzá. The Tayasal kingdom was famously the last independent Maya state, conquered by the Spanish only in 1697 — more than 200 years after the rest of the Maya world had fallen. The Itzá kingdom maintained pre-Columbian political continuity from the Postclassic Maya era through the colonial period via geographic isolation in the Petén jungle. Today, only around 1,000 elderly speakers remain, primarily in San José village on the northern shore of Lake Petén Itzá; younger Itzá Maya generations have shifted to Spanish. Linguistically, Itzá is closely related to Yucatec Maya (yua) but with distinct vocabulary preserving Postclassic Yucatecan features lost in the modern Yucatec dialect.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Itzá Maya
Water
jaʼ
/haʔ/
Fire
kʼakʼ
/kʼakʼ/
Sun
kʼin
/kʼin/
Moon
uj
/uh/
Mother
naʼ
/naʔ/
Father
tat
/tat/
Eat
jant
/hant/
Drink
ukʼ
/ukʼ/
Love
yakunti
/jakunti/
Heart
pukʼsikʼal
/pukʼsikʼal/
Tree
cheʼ
/tʃeʔ/
House
nah
/nah/
Dog
pekʼ
/pekʼ/
Cat
mis
/mis/
Hand
kʼab
/kʼab/
Eye
ich
/itʃ/
Hello
bʼix a tʼan
/biʃ a tʼan/
Thank you
dios bʼotik
/dios botik/
One
jun
/hun/
Good
malobʼ
/malob/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mayan languages
| Meaning | Itzá Maya | Yucatec Maya | Classical Maya | Tabasco Chontal | Uspanteko | Tojolabal | Chol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | haʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ | jaʼ /haʔ/ |
| Fire | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼáakʼ /kʼaːkʼ/ | kʼahkʼ /kʼahkʼ/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ | kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ | kʼajk /kʼahk/ |
| Sun | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼiin /kʼiːn/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | kʼin /kʼin/ | qʼiij /qʼiːh/ | kʼakʼu /kʼakʼu/ | kʼajn /kʼahn/ |
| Moon | uj /uh/ | uj /uh/ | uh /uh/ | ä /æ/ | ikʼ /ikʼ/ | ixaw /iʃaw/ | uw /uw/ |
| Mother | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | naʼ /naʔ/ | nan /nan/ | nan /nan/ | ñaʼ /ɲaʔ/ |
| Father | tat /tat/ | taata /taːta/ | yuum /juːm/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ |
| Eat | jant /hant/ | jaant /haːnt/ | wiʼij /wiʔiχ/ | weʼ /weʔ/ | waʼ /waʔ/ | waʼel /waʔel/ | kʼux /kʼuʃ/ |
| Drink | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼul /ukʼul/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼe /ukʼe/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ukʼ /ukʼ/ | ucʼ /utsʼ/ |
| Love | yakunti /jakunti/ | yaakuntej /jaːkunteh/ | yaah /jaːh/ | kʼuxbe /kʼuʃbe/ | lóqʼ /lóqʼ/ | skʼana /skʼana/ | kʼuxbiñ /kʼuʃbiɲ/ |
| Heart | pukʼsikʼal /pukʼsikʼal/ | puksiʼikʼal /puksiʔikʼal/ | pixan /piʃan/ | pixan /piʃan/ | kʼuʼx /kʼuʔʃ/ | alma /alma/ | pusʼikʼal /pusʼikʼal/ |
| Tree | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | cheʼ /tʃeʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ | teʼ /teʔ/ |
| House | nah /nah/ | naj /nah/ | otoch /otoːtʃ/ | otot /otot/ | jaa /haː/ | naj /nah/ | otyot /otjot/ |
| Dog | pekʼ /pekʼ/ | peekʼ /peːkʼ/ | peekʼ /peːkʼ/ | pekʼ /pekʼ/ | tzʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ | tsʼiʼ /tsʼiʔ/ |
| Cat | mis /mis/ | miis /miːs/ | miis /miːs/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ | mis /mis/ |
| Hand | kʼab /kʼab/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | kʼab /kʼab/ | kʼä /kʼæ/ | qʼab /qʼab/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ | kʼabʼ /kʼaɓ/ |
| Eye | ich /itʃ/ | ich /itʃ/ | ich /itʃ/ | wich /witʃ/ | wach /watʃ/ | satej /sateh/ | wut /wut/ |
| Hello | bʼix a tʼan /biʃ a tʼan/ | baʼax ka waʼalik /baʔaʃ ka waʔalik/ | bix a beel /biʃ a beːl/ | bin a bel /bin a bel/ | saʼbʼal /saʔbal/ | lekilukʼ /lekilukʼ/ | kabʼ /kaɓ/ |
| Thank you | dios bʼotik /dios botik/ | dios boʼotik /dios boʔotik/ | nibʼoolal /nibʼoːlal/ | dios boʼtik /dios boʔtik/ | maltyox /maltjoʃ/ | yuj /juh/ | wokox /wokoʃ/ |
| One | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | un /un/ | jun /hun/ | jun /hun/ | juñ /huɲ/ |
| Good | malobʼ /malob/ | maʼalob /maʔalob/ | utz /uts/ | tsʼak /tsʼak/ | utz /uts/ | lek /lek/ | utsat /utsat/ |
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