Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million native Maya. Most of them are in Guatemala, Mexico or Belize. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name,[2] and Mexico recognises eight others.
The Mayan languages are some of the best documented and most studied in the Americas.[3] Modern Mayan languages come from Proto-Mayan, a language that was probably spoken at least 5000 years ago. It has been partly reconstructed.
↑In linguistics, it is usual to use Mayan when talking about the language