Chontal Maya language

Yokotʼan (self-denomination), also known as Chontal Maya, is a Maya language of the Cholan family spoken in 2020 by around 60,000 Chontal Maya people of the Mexican state of Tabasco. According to the National Catalog of Indigenous Languages of Mexico-INALI, Yokotʼan has at least four dialects: Nacajuca (Central), Centla (Northern), Macuspana (Southern) and Tamulte (Eastern).

Distribution
The Chontal Maya are concentrated in 159 settlements in 5 municipalities of Tabasco (Brown 2005:122).


 * Centla
 * Centro
 * Jonuta
 * Macuspana
 * Nacajuca (comprising more than 50% of the Chontal Maya population)

Some Chontal settlements near the town of Nacajuca include (Brown 2005:116):


 * El Tigre
 * Saloya
 * Guatacaloa
 * Olcuatitan
 * Tucta
 * Mazatehuapa
 * Tapotzingo
 * Guaytalpa
 * San Simón
 * Tecoluta
 * Oxiacapue
 * Guadalupe
 * El Sitio
 * Tamulte

Some Chontal settlements in the northeastern Centla region include (Brown 2005:116):


 * Cuauhtemoc
 * Vicente Guerrero
 * Allende
 * Simón Sarlat
 * Quitin Arauz (on the Río Usumacinta)

Chontal settlements near Macuspana include Benito Juárez and Aquiles Serdan (Brown 2005).