Myths of the World

The  Mopan tribe  are an Indigenous, sub-ethnic group of the  Maya peoples . They are native to regions of  Belize  and  Guatemala .  In the 18th and 19th centuries, the British forced the Mopan out of Belize and into   Petén , Guatemala.   There, they endured forced labour and high taxation,   causing them to migrate back into Belize. The Mopan originally settled near modern Pueblo Viejo, but Guatemalan officials claimed that they were still within bounds of Guatemala, so they moved further east around 1889 and founded San Antonio.   In the 2010 Census, 10,557 Belizeans reported their ethnicity as Mopan Maya. This constituted approximately 3% of the population.  The   Cacao tree   has played a significant role in the religious life of the Mopan Maya people. The Cacao tree is known as ceremonial tree in the Mopan Community. The tree is locally known as   cucu . Both the tree itself and its beans that it produces ...

The  Chʼortiʼ tribe  (alternatively,  Chʼortiʼ Maya  or  Chorti ) are one of the  Indigenous   Maya peoples , who primarily reside in communities and towns of northeastern  Guatemala , northwestern  Honduras , and northern  El Salvador . Their  indigenous language , also known as  Chʼortiʼ , is a survival of  Classic Maya language , the language of the inscriptions in  Copan . It is the first language of approximately 15,000 people, although the majority of present-day Chʼortiʼ speakers are  bilingual  in  Spanish  as well.  The Chʼortiʼ area, which had   Copán   as its cultural center, was the headquarters of the ancient   Mayan civilization . The Chʼortiʼ people in Honduras are known for their first ruler Yax K'uk' Mo' (pronounced 'Yash Kook Mo') who was the founder and first king of the dynasty that ruled the Maya city of Copan (also known as Oxwitik) for nearly 400 years. Kn...