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Xinka Foodways

Indigenous

⚠ THE XINKA ARE NOT MAYA. Their language family is unrelated to Mayan and unrelated to Nahuan — an isolate family of southeastern Guatemala, recorded in four or five varieties (Guazacapán, Chiquimulilla, Sinacantán, Yupiltepeque and Jumaytepeque), ⚠ ALL OF WHICH ARE RECORDED AS NO LONGER HAVING FLUENT FIRST-LANGUAGE SPEAKERS, with a documented community revitalisation effort under way. ⚠ THIS IS THE DISTINCTION THE SPEC DEMANDS: historical language documentation is NOT present-day vitality, and this row asserts neither in place of the other. The Xinka people are very much present, in SANTA ROSA, Jutiapa and Jalapa, and are recognised as one of Guatemala’s four constituent peoples alongside the Maya, Garifuna and Ladino. The foodway is the southeastern one: maize, beans, squash, chile, loroco, izote flower, pacaya, nance, jocote and marañón; tamales and chilate; and ⚠ NO XINKA FOOD VOCABULARY IS GIVEN HERE that this system cannot source. The Xinka parliament’s documented opposition to mining on its territory is a land-and-food matter.

Atlas — where and when

Where in the world

Communities and languages

  • Xinka community documented

Languages: Xinca-Guazacapan, Xinca-Chiquimulilla, Xinca-Sinacantan, Xinca-Yupiltepeque, Xinka-Jumaytepeque, Spanish

What is recorded

  • The Xinka are not Maya; Xinkan is an independent language family unrelated to Mayan and to Nahuan, recorded in the varieties Guazacapán, Chiquimulilla, Sinacantán, Yupiltepeque and Jumaytepeque, none of which is recorded as retaining fluent first-language speakers, with a documented community revitalisation effort under way. Historical language documentation is recorded as distinct from present-day vitality. The Xinka people are present in Santa Rosa, Jutiapa and Jalapa and are recognised as one of Guatemala’s four constituent peoples alongside the Maya, Garifuna and Ladino. No Xinka food vocabulary is asserted here. Xinka parliamentary opposition to mining on community territory is documented. documented

Related foodways

This foodway relates to

Recipes

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