Maya peoples

Maya ( MY-ə, Spanish: [ˈmaʝa]) are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica. Maya peoples are generally descended from the same populations that inhabited the region during the ancient Maya civilization. Today, they primarily live in Guatemala, southeast Mexico, Belize, and westernmost El Salvador and Honduras. The term "Maya" is a modern collective term for the peoples of the region; the term was not historically used by the Indigenous populations themselves. There was no common sense of identity or political unity among the distinct populations, societies and ethnic groups because they each had their own particular traditions, cultures and historical identity. It is estimated that seven million Maya were living in this area at the start of the 21st century. Guatemala, southern Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras, have managed to maintain numerous remnants of their ancient cultural heritage. Some are quite integrated into the majority westernised mestizo cultures of the nations in which they reside, while others continue a more traditional, culturally distinct life, often speaking one of the Mayan languages as a primary language.