$4 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 
of the group is the Maya proper, which is spoken by the 
natives of Yucatan and by the Lacandone Indians of the 
Usumacinta Valley. The Quiché, Cakchiquel, Chol, 
and Chorti are other prominent languages. 
In the region of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are the 
Zapotecan and Zoquean stocks, which differ widely in 
sound and structure from the Mayan and Nahuan 
tongues that hem them in. West, north, and east of 
the Valley of Mexico are, respectively, the Tarascan, 
Otomian, and ‘Totonacan stocks, which show no great 
amount of subdivision. In Honduras, Nicaragua, and 
Costa Rica are several language groups that have never 
been carefully studied. It seems likely that some of 
these will be consolidated when words and grammatical 
structures are better known. ‘The Chiapanecan lan- 
guages, now practically extinct, were spoken in three 
localities on the Pacific side of Nicaragua and Costa 
Rica, while a fourth division occupied a small area far 
to the northwest on the banks of the Chiapas River. 
Parts of the Isthmian region were held by tribes having 
linguistic affiliation with South America. It is not 
unlikely that a considerable back flow from South 
America made itself felt along the Atlantic coast of 
Central America, if we may judge by ethnological 
features and by suggested language connections. 
Ethnology. To a less extent than the native lan- 
guages the old-time customs still hold out against the 
tide of European influence. In regions not easily 
accessible on account of deserts, mountains, or tropical 
jungles, there are a number of groups of Indians that 
preserve in a large measure their ancient arts and ideas. 
Unfortunately the study of these remnants has not been 
very thorough. 
The Pima, Seri, Tarahumare, Tepehuane, and other 
