Maya or Mayan?

 MAYA or MAYAN?

Frequently I'm asked, "Which is the correct word: Mayan or Maya?" Generally the word Maya is used as both the noun and adjective to describe the people and their culture. The word Mayan is used to describe their language. For example: The Mayan language is spoken by the Maya or You will find explanations of the Maya calendar and Maya glyphs on this Web site as well as photos of present day Maya. 

Source: Jeeni Criscenzo, author of a novel about the ancient Maya, Place of Mirrors, http://www.jaguar-sun.com/default.htm , 1/2/09.

Mayan languages are alive and well, as are the people who speak them.  Today there are 31 Mayan languages in use.  Some of these languages are spoken widely throughout the Maya region, such as the Yucatec language.  Other Mayan languages are only spoken by a few hundred speakers.  Yucatecan and Cholan language groups are the most widely spoken.  Yucatecan languages include Yucatec, Itzá, Mopán, and Lacandón.  The major Cholan languages are Chol, Chontal, Chorti, and Cholti.  Of the Mayan languages still in use, most of them are unintelligible to each other. 

Throughout the area of the Yucatan peninsula, signs in the architectural zones are provided in Spanish, English, and Yucatec.  The graphics below show some examples.  And as you can see, Yucatec has no similarities to Spanish.