People / group

Q'eqchi' people

Also known as Kekchi

The Q'eqchi' are a Maya people of Guatemala and Belize, centred on the department of Alta Verapaz and spreading into Izabal, the Petén and southern Belize. Their language, Q'eqchi', is one of the most widely spoken Mayan languages, with more than a million speakers. From the late nineteenth century much of their land was taken for coffee plantations, and many migrated north into the lowland forests.

Q'eqchi' people — Image: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Q'eqchi' people. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qeqchi-people
MLA: “Q'eqchi' people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qeqchi-people. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Q'eqchi' people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qeqchi-people.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Q'eqchi' people’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/qeqchi-people (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻