Qatanum | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 11,068[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Guatemala | Huehuetenango |
 Mexico | Chiapas, Campeche |
| Languages | |
| Awakatek, Spanish | |
| Religion | |
| Catholic, Evangelicalist, Maya religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ixil | |
The Awakatek (Awakateko) (in awakatek: Qatanum, "our people") are a indigenous Maya people located in the municiapality of Champotón, Campeche, México and in the municiaplity of Aguacatán in the department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, place where they have their original settlement.[2]
The word Awakateko is a reference to the town of Aguacatán, which in Nahuatl means “place of abundant avocados”, they call themselves Qatanum which translates to “our people”.
They formally settled in the southern Mexican territory during the Guatemalan Civil War in search of refuge from the violence, genocide and military persecution of which the indigenous peoples of their region were targeted. Finally, in Campeche they founded new permanent communities along with other indigenous peoples such as the Ixil and the Q'eqchi'.[3]
- ^ See population census of 2002: "XI Censo Nacional de Población y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002) - Pertenencia de grupo étnico". Instituto Nacional de Estadística. 2002. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ See Gordon (2005): "Ethnologue: Languages of the World - Awakateko, A language of Guatemala". SIL International. 2005. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ "SIC México. Red Nacional de Información Cultural: Awakateko".