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Jacalteco Indian Language (Popti', Jacaltec)
Jacalteco is a Mayan
language spoken by about 70,000 people in Guatemala and Mexico. There are two main varieties of Jacalteco:
Western Jacalteco and Eastern Jacalteco. Although there are some significant differences between Eastern and Western Jacalteco,
different Jacalteco speakers can usually understand each other well, so most linguists consider them dialects of the same
language rather than two distinct languages. Jacalteco uses VSO word order.
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Jacalteco Vocabulary
Our list of vocabulary words in the Jacalteco language, with comparison to words in other Mayan languages.
Jacaltec Maya Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Jacalteco words.
Jacalteco Animal Words:
Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Jacalteco language.
Jacalteco Body Parts:
Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in Jacalteco.
Jacalteco Colors:
Worksheet showing color words in Jacalteco.
Jacalteco Numbers:
Worksheet showing how to count in the Jacalteco language.
Jacalteco Food:
Worksheet with pictures of food words in the Jacaltec language.
Jacalteco Language Resources
Language Map of Guatemala:
Map showing where in Central America the Jacalteco language is spoken.
Diccionario Jakalteko:
Online Spanish-Jakalteko glossary, with some audio clips of spoken words.
Mayan Placenames in Guatemala:
Chart of Guatemalan place names in Jakalteko and other Mayan languages.
The Bible in Jacalteco 
Language Museum: Jacalteco Lord's Prayer in Jacalteco:
Jacalteco translations of Biblical passages and Christian prayers.
Lengua Jacalteco
Information on the Jacalteco language, including linguistic maps of Mexico and Guatemala. Page in Spanish.
Wikipedia: Jakaltek:
Brief encyclopedia entry on the Jakaltek language.
House of Languages: Jacalteco:
Information about Jacaltec language usage.
Eastern Jacalteco Western Jacalteco:
Demographic information about Jacalteco from the Ethnologue of Languages.
Poptí Language Tree:
Theories about Popti's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Jakaltek Language Structures:
Jakaltek linguistic profile and academic bibliography.
Jakalteko Maya
Article about Jakalteko culture and history.
The Maya of Guatemala:
A good overview of the history of Guatemalan Mayan people and the issues they face today.
In Guatemala, the Maya world untouched for centuries Birth of a Maya Empire:
Articles about Mayan archaeological discoveries in Guatemala.
Books for sale on the Jacaltecos
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
Maya Identities and the Violence of Place
Book on the indigenous belief system and difficult history of the Jacalteco Maya.
We Were Taught to Plant Corn Not to Kill
Essays and artwork by Guatemalan Mayas about the 20th-century violence that rocked their communities.
The Ancient Maya:
Excellent historical overview of ancient Mayan civilization in general.
Indian Books:
Evolving list of books about Mayas and Native Americans in general.
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Links, References, and Additional Information
Endangered Languages Project: Jakalteko:
Bibliography of Jakalteko language resources.
Wikipedia: Jacaltek:
Encyclopedia articles on the Jacalteco Indians.
Pueblo Jacalteco Los Chujes y Jacaltecos Idioma Jacalteco:
Information about the Jacaltecos and their language in Spanish.
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