HISTORY OF THE POQOMAM LANGUAGE

The Pocomam language (also called

Pokomam or Poqomam) is a Mayan language,
related to the Poqomchi language. It is spoken
by around 30,000 people in various places in
Guatemala, mainly in the department of Alta
Verapaz. In El Salvador, the number of
speakers is not known; it is believed that the
language is already extinct there. In pre-
Hispanic times it was also spoken in
Honduras.

It is classified into central Pocomam spoken in Chinautla and El Salvador, eastern Pocomam (San
Luis Jilotepeque), and southeastern Pocomam (Palín).

The Poqomam believe that secrets are carefully guarded formulas that can be used to solve physical
and spiritual problems. It is believed that luck comes to people either by birth or as a gift from the
underworld.

Meaning

The Poqomam are members of the Poqom group, which includes the Poqomchi Indians in northern
Guatemala. The Poqomam language belongs to the Poqom language group, which is part of the
large Quiche Mayan group. The Poqomam live in the Guatemalan departments of Jalapa,
Guatemala, Escuintla and Chiquimula. A small number of Poqomam have emigrated to El Salvador.
In the late 1980s, the Poqomam was forty-five to fifty thousand.

History

The Poqom group, including the Poqomchi' and the Poqomam, originally inhabited a region stretching
from the highlands of Guatemala to the coast of El Salvador. The Poqom group eventually became
two distinct ethnic groups.

The current Poqomchi live in the northern part of this region in Guatemala, and the Poqomam live in
the central part, in the southeast of Guatemala. Those Poqomam who lived in El Salvador were
largely displaced by the immigration of the Pipils in the 11th century. Later in the 15th century,
Poqomam fell under the control of the expanding K'iche' empire.

They were eventually able to reestablish political autonomy, but it was short-lived. In the early 16th
century, the Spanish moved into the region and conquered Poqomam. During the colonial period,
European diseases to which the Poqomam were exposed and warfare reduced the Poqomam
population. Relocation to missionary settlements and policies Guatemalans who banned communal
lands forced the Poqomam onto smaller and smaller plots.
During the 20th century, the population of
Poqomam and its properties have remained
stable; However, growing attempts by leftist
Guatemalan political groups to restore
traditional lands in the Poqomam have faced
repression and military reprisals. As a result,
many Poqomam have immigrated to the United
States.

Settlements

The Poqomam generally live in small settlements surrounding large urban centers. For example, the
municipality of Chinautla is a central urban area surrounded by many rural villages (aldeas). Officially,
urban centers have the authority to govern the villages around them. In practice, however, most
villagers like to retain a certain degree of local autonomy.

Within villages, people often live in extended family compounds so that they can be close to their
immediate relatives. While the ideal form of household is the nuclear family, the traditional ideal of the
extended family can be said to be preserved through the practice of grouping immediate family
households into a single household. The grouping process often occurs across generations, with
family lands remaining in the hands of the oldest man in the complex.

The houses are built in a traditional or Ladino way. In the case of traditional structures, the walls are
made of reed or adobe, and the roofs are covered with thatch with long grasses. The walls of Ladino
houses are generally made of brick and the roofs are made of tiles or galvanized tin.

Poqomam language

The revitalization of Mayan languages in Guatemala has increased in importance. In the 1996 Peace
Accords, the idea of making Mayan languages official or co-official was introduced. Unfortunately, in
the 1999 referendum on constitutional changes it was rejected.

In May 2003, the Guatemalan Congress approved the “National Languages Law” which, while
establishing that Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, the Law recognizes that indigenous
languages are essential parts of national identity that must be promoted. This is a considerable
change from the Guatemalan Constitution, which only recognizes indigenous languages as part of
the “national heritage.”

PALIN'S HISTORY

Palín is derived from the Nahuatl PALI which

means wide, extensive and the ending in,
which is movement, agitation, wind, that is, a
place agitated by the wind. After the
Independence of Central America and during the government of Mariano Rivera Paz, by decree of
November 6, 1839, it formed an independent district along with Amatitlán and Villa Nueva for its
political government. The district changed its name and category to department, becoming the
department of Amatitlán according to the agreement of the Executive of May 8, 1866 of the
government of Marshal Vicente Cerna y Cerna. Finally, this department was suppressed by
legislative decree 2081 of April 29, 1935 during the government of General Jorge Ubico and Palín
passed to the jurisdiction of the department of Escuintla. Then the municipality of Palín was founded
on May 2, 1935.

Palín (from the poqomam "Pa'laq ha'" which means "calm, or still water") is a municipality in the
department of Escuintla, in Guatemala. It was elevated to the category of municipality on October 16,
1836. Palín is a municipality of multiple customs and traditions, and its main characteristic is its ceiba
tree. Its main festival is July 30 in honor of Saint Christopher. Palín is 40 km away. of Guatemala City
and according to the 2002 census, the population had more than 62,000 inhabitants, the majority
indigenous; Many of the residents come from nearby municipalities such as Escuintla, Villa Nueva,
Santa María de Jesús, Amatitlán, and Guatemala City who have emigrated due to the overpopulation
that exists in the latter.

The town of Palín is not known to have been formed as such in colonial times, since it does not
appear in the index of cities, towns and villages of the kingdom of Guatemala. During the first years
of the Hispanic period it was already known as San Cristóbal Palín and in 1839 it formed an
independent district together with Amatitlán and Villa Nueva.

After the conquest of the Guatemalan highlands in 1524, the stage of founding encomiendas began,
for which the people who accompanied the Spanish were brought together in some dispersed towns
that had fled from the occupation. On some occasions they grouped together people who spoke the
same language or were simply brought from other places to form new towns.

The foundations were ordered in 1538 at the request of Bishop Francisco Marroquín by document
that had to be reiterated in 1541. The judge Juan Rogel Vásquez was sent by the Court to make the
founding of towns a reality. The bishop entrusted the religious of the regular orders, knowledgeable in
indigenous languages, to direct the reduction, focusing their attention on the heads of the manors.