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B'a'nkyuleni
B'a'nkyuleni
Welcome to the Learn Yol Mam website. The goal of this website is to serve as a resource for anyone wanting to learn about Mam language and culture. We hope that by providing learning resources in Mam from San Juan Atitán, English, and Spanish, and by utilizing many modalities of learning such as text, imagery, audio, and videos, more people can learn the Mam language and culture. In addition, we hope it raises awareness of the strong presence of Mam speakers and Mam culture in the U.S. For more information, you can find our contact information on the About Us page.
Overview of Maya Mam
Overview of Maya Mam
Mam describes both a Mayan language and a pueblo, meaning a nation and a people. Mam, sometimes referred to as Maya-Mam, is a Mayan language. The language originates from and is spoken in many municipios (municipalities) in Guatemala, specifically in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, and Retalhuleu, as well as in parts of Southern Mexico. The maps to the right show where the various Mayan languages are spoken in Guatemala.
From these ancestral regions, Maya Mam communities have been forcibly displaced to many countries, including the United States (US). In the US, there are many vibrant Mam diasporas including one in the San Francisco Bay Area. In particular, there is an established and growing community of Mam speakers in Oakland, California. While no official counts exist, there are an estimated 30,000-40,000 Mam speakers living there. In Oakland, Mam community members have opened shops, restaurants, and other businesses focused on their community practices, foods, and indumentaria. While many Mam communities have migrated to the Bay Area, the second largest population of Mam migrants are from San Juan Atitán (more below).
As multiple generations of Mam speakers have grown up and are growing up in the Bay Area, there are ever greater needs to maintain the Mam language and to create awareness of the language and the communities.
It is from this context that we’ve created this learning resource. This “curriculum” is based on a fictional story of Sofía, a 16-year old girl who was born in San Juan Atitán and raised in Oakland, California. Her family migrated from San Juan Atitán when she was two years old. This learning resource follows Sofía as she “returns” to San Juan Atitán for the first time and deepens her knowledge of the Mam language with her aunt and other community members.
Current-day Mayan speaking area (Law, 2014, 44) Adapted by Royer (2022,12)
Mam variety regions (England 1983, 8) Adapted by Scott (2023, 12)
Language Varieties
Language Varieties
One result of Mam being widely spoken throughout Guatemala, Mexico, the US, and beyond is that there are many different ways to speak the language. We refer to different ways of speaking as “varieties.” Varieties of the Mam language can be quite different from each other in many ways: from pronunciation, meaning of words and word usage, and even different sentence-making strategies. As you use this learning resource, keep in mind that we are teaching a specific variety of Mam generally from San Juan Atitán, where there is further variation between neighborhoods, generations, and individuals. Throughout the learning resource, you will find some notes about other varieties of Mam, but this is not generally a learning resource about the variations or their language practices.
However, we have also begun to include other varieties as of April 2026! See the buttons below to learn more about Todos Santos Cuchumatán, San Pedro Necta, and Concepción Chiquirichapa (courtesy of colleagues and friends from those municipalities who helped us learn about their Mam language varieties!)
San Juan Atitán, Guatemala
San Juan Atitán, Guatemala
San Juan Atitán, Guatemala
San Juan Atitán (Xjan Xwan in the Mam language) has an estimated population of 25,165 people, and it is located at around 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people identify with their municipio and so refer to themselves as San Juaneros.
We base this learning resource on what we call San Juan Atitán (SJA) Mam. Speakers of this variety live in many places, including Oakland, California and other cities in the United States. In addition, people living in San Juan Atitán speak different varieties. Therefore, we emphasize that we use principles and patterns that we’ve heard or grown up with in San Juan Atitán even though we know it does not represent the full range of language practices in San Juan Atitán or by people from there.
Qo Xnaq'tzan tuk'l Sofía
Qo Xnaq'tzan tuk'l Sofía
Learn Mam with Sophia
Whether you are new to learning Mam, have taken a few classes and want to improve, speak Mam and want to improve fluency, reading, or writing skills, or just want to become familiar with Mam language and culture, we ecourage you to check out our new learning path "Learn Mam with Sophia."
Follow Sophia, a young woman born in San Juan Atitán, Guatemala and raised in Oakland as she travels back to San Juan Atitán to revisit her home and learn Mam.
Lessons include conversations with audio, notes on Mam conversation style, vocabulary flash cards, grammar lessons and cultural lessons.
Classes
Classes
Though we are currently not offering classes, we encourage you to use the materials on this site to aid your learning. To stay up to date with any future class offerings or opportunities, please add yourself to our mailing list by visiting the link below and clicking "join group."
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