ABSTRACT
Modern Mesoamerica is an area of great linguistic diversity. Although Spanish is the dominant language of the region, about 100 Native American languages are still spoken within its borders, and English is the official language of Belize. The study of these languages has provided a great deal of information about the cultures, histories, and relationships among Mesoamerican peoples. The native languages of Mesoamerica also share certain linguistic properties that distinguish them from languages to the north and south, and help define one part of what it is to be Mesoamerican.
