Mopan

ETHNONYMS: Mopane, Mopanero, Mopán Maya

The 10,000 Mopan Indians live in approximately equal numbers in Guatemala and Belize. This Yucatec Maya people lived in Mexico at the time of contact. During the large-scale political unrest and violence of the late 1840s and early 1850s, the Mopan left Mexico to live in west-central Guatemala and the Cayo District of Belize. The political repression in Guatemala since the mid-twentieth century has caused many to leave Guatemala and move to Belize. The Mopan live close to the Q'eqchi' Indians, and many now speak Q'eqchi' as well as Mopan.