Language
The Mam language is the primary language in Todos Santos. It is a beautiful language that dates back before the conquistadors in history. It is characterized by fricatives, and glottal stops. The language itself is varied because it changes regionally between where people are, much like the English of the southern United States varies from the English of London, England. The region of the Mam language stretches through Huehuetenango to the south, past Quetzaltenango and into regions of Reuteleu. People speaking different dialects can understand one another though, unlike between the indigenous languages, for example, a Mam speaker communicating with a Quiche speaker.
For a more enjoyable stay in Todos Santos for both you and your hosts, visitors are encouraged to learn some basic phrases in Mam. If you're interested in studying before you make a visit, there are now several excellent books available. One is the 1993 text published by the Proyecto Lingüístico Francisco Marroquín (P.L.F.M.) entitled Gramática del idioma mam. This is an especially useful resource since it includes many examples from Todos Santos. The P.L.F.M. also offers Mam classes at their school in Antigua if prior arrangements are made. The most comprehensive and authoritative resource on the language is the 1997 publication Ttxoolil Qyool Mam written by B'aayil (Eduardo Pérez) and Ajb'ee (Odilio Jiménez) and published by Cholsamaj. Both of these two textbooks and others on Mam are available through Yax Te' Foundation. You can study Mam at any of the three language schools in Todos Santos described above.
For a more enjoyable stay in Todos Santos for both you and your hosts, visitors are encouraged to learn some basic phrases in Mam. If you're interested in studying before you make a visit, there are now several excellent books available. One is the 1993 text published by the Proyecto Lingüístico Francisco Marroquín (P.L.F.M.) entitled Gramática del idioma mam. This is an especially useful resource since it includes many examples from Todos Santos. The P.L.F.M. also offers Mam classes at their school in Antigua if prior arrangements are made. The most comprehensive and authoritative resource on the language is the 1997 publication Ttxoolil Qyool Mam written by B'aayil (Eduardo Pérez) and Ajb'ee (Odilio Jiménez) and published by Cholsamaj. Both of these two textbooks and others on Mam are available through Yax Te' Foundation. You can study Mam at any of the three language schools in Todos Santos described above.