Ch’ol Maya and their Neighbors

             The Ch’ol have immediate neighbors in Chiapas, like the Tzeltal, as well as close relatives in Tabasco, the Chontal, and the Chorti of eastern Guatemala. The Tzeltal just about double the Ch’oles population in Chiapas.  Even though they were severely oppressed under Spanish rule for hundreds of years, they were able to persevere to be a majority of the Chiapas population today. 

   

The Ch’olan language has similarities to both the Chontal and Chorti languages. The three languages together are believed to be the modern languages that relate to the classic Maya language the closest. The Chontal and Chorti people are also the only outside of Chiapas to speak a dialect of the Cholan language.

This was a map of where each of these cultures were located but the markers didn't transfer into the blog