family of Mesoamerican Indian languages spoken in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; Maya languages were also formerly spoken in western Honduras and western El Salvador.

The family may be subdivided into the Huastec, Yucatec, Western Maya, and Eastern Maya groups. The most important Eastern Maya languages are Quiché (Quiché language) and Cakchiquel (Cakchiquel language); but there are also Mam, Teco, Aguacatec, Ixil, Uspantec, Sacapultec, Sipacapa, Pocomam, Pocomchí, and Kekchí. The largest Western Maya language is Tzeltal, spoken in Chiapas, Mexico, but other Western Maya languages include Chontal, Chol, Chortí, Tzotzil, Tojolabal, Chuj, Kanjobal, Acatec, Jacaltec, and Motozintlec. The Yucatec languages (Yucatec language), including Yucatec, Lacandón, Itzá, and Mopán, are sometimes also classed as Western Maya languages; Yucatec (Yucatec language), the most important, is spoken in Yucatán, northern Guatemala, and Belize. The Huastec group is composed of the Huastec and Chicomuceltec languages.