| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 94,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Guatemala | 91,391[1] |
| Huehuetenango | 89,663[1] |
 Mexico | approx. 3,000[2] |
| Languages | |
| Chuj, Spanish | |
| Religion | |
| Catholic, Evangelicalist, Maya religion | |
The Chuj or Chuh[3] are a Maya people, whose homeland is in Guatemala and Mexico. Population estimates vary between 30,000 and over 60,000. Their indigenous language is also called Chuj and belongs to the Q'anjobalan branch of Mayan languages. Most Chuj live in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango, in the municipalities of San Mateo Ixtatán and San Sebastián Coatán, with small numbers also residing in the neighboring border areas of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Los Angeles is believed to have a relatively large population of undocumented Chuj immigrants.
The Chuj, and their ancestors, are believed to have lived in the same area for 4,000 years. They first came into contact with Spanish conquistadores in the 1530s; however, they were not finally subdued by the Spanish colonial authorities until the 1680s. In the post-Colonial era, the Chuj lost much of their communal land, reducing them to extreme poverty. This resulted in a history of violent resistance to authority culminating in guerrilla activity against Guatemala's military junta in the 1980s.
- ^ a b "Resultados Censo 2018" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Guatemala. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "Hablantes de lengua indígena en México - Lenguas indígenas en México y hablantes (de 5 años y más) al 2005". Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI). 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- ^ Peoples of the Americas. Marshall Cavendish. 1999. p. 306. ISBN 978-0-7614-7050-2. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
chuj people.