Mayab
/maːˈjaɓ/noun
A historical Maya name for the Yucatán Peninsula or the Maya region.
Did you know?Mayab appears in colonial-era accounts as an ancestral name for the Yucatán region, but scholars caution that popular translations such as “land of the few” are uncertain rather than proven.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Yucatec Maya
Mayabʼ
“A traditional regional name associated with the Maya homeland; the precise original sense is uncertain.”
16th Century
Spanish
Mayab
“A name recorded by Spanish chroniclers for the Yucatán region.”
16th Century
Yucatec Maya
Mayabʼ
“A historical place-name preserved in Maya accounts and colonial transcriptions.”
19th Century
English
Mayab
“A scholarly and literary name for the ancient Maya region.”
Modern English
English
Mayab
“A historical or cultural name for the Yucatán Peninsula or Maya homeland.”