THE MAM LIVE IN HIGHLANDAS CHIAPA AND GUATEMALA. IN 2000 THEY HAD 480,000 SPEAKERS. THEY LIKE LITERACY SKILLS. THEY HAVE MANY DIALECTS. MAM ARE RELATED TO THE TEKITAK LANGUAGE. 617,000 LIVE IN GUATEMALA. IN PRECOLUMBIAN TIME. THEY WERE PART OF MAYAN CULTURE. THEIR CAPITAL WAS ZACULEU. MANY LIVE IN SMALL HAMLETS AND HAVE NATIVE TRADITIONS. MANY SPEAK SPANISH AND MAM.
DURING PREHISPANIC TIMES MAM VIED FOR CONTROL OF THEIR LANDS WITH MORE POWERFUL KICHE LORDS TO THE EAST. IN 1524 SPANISH MILITIA PASSED THROUGH THE AREA. THEY SUBDUED THE NORTHERN MAM IN THE LATE 1525. THE SOUTHERN MAM ESCAPED THE CONQUEST. FOLLOWING THIS TIME THE UNACCESSABILITY OF THEIR AREA ATTRACTED FEW SPANISH. LATER THE MISSIONARIES CONVERTED MAM TO CATHOLICISM. THEY WERE RAVAGED BY ANGLO DISEASES. THEY REMAINED ISOLATED. BY THE 1800'S THEY WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE COFFEEE COMMERCIAL ECONOMY OF GUATEMAL. THE HIGHLAND MAM WERE FORCED INTO MIGRATORY WAGE LABOR TO HARVEST THE CROP.
GROWING POLITICAL VIOLENCE WITH THE GUATEMALA GOVERNOR SUBJECTED THEM TO BRUTAL VIOLENCE. IN 1980. THEY REMAINED 2ND CLASS CITIZENS OR SUBSISTENCE FARMERS. THEY ARE STILL SEEKING A BETTER LIFE FOR THEMSELVES.
WIKIPEDIA.ORG
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