Or, if it is essential to find a meaning, why not accept the obvious signification of the name? _Ma_ is the negative "no," "not;" _ya_ means rough, fatiguing, difficult, painful, dangerous. The compound _maya_ is given in the Dictionary of Motul with the translations "not arduous nor severe; something easy and not difficult to do;" _cosa no grave ni recia; cosa facil y no dificultosa de hacer_. It was used adjectively as in the phrase, _maya u chapahal_, his sickness is not dangerous. So they might have spoken of the level and fertile land of Yucatan, abounding in fruit and game, that land to which we are told they delighted to give, as a favorite appellation, the term _u luumil ceh, u luumil cutz_, the land of the deer, the land of the wild turkey; of this land, I say, they might well have spoken as of one not fatiguing, not rough nor exhausting. § 2. _The Maya Linguistic Family._ Whatever the primitive meaning and first application of the name Maya, it is now used to signify specifically the aborigines of Yucatan. In a more extended sense, in the expression "the Maya family," it is understood to embrace all tribes, wherever found, who speak related dialects presumably derived from the same ancient stock as the Maya proper. Other names for this extended family have been suggested, as Maya-Kiche, Mam-Huastec, and the like, compounded of the names of two or more of the tribes of the group. But this does not appear to have much advantage over the simple expression I have given, though "Maya-Kiche" may be conveniently employed to prevent confusion. These affiliated tribes are, according to the investigations of Dr. Carl Hermann Berendt, the following:-- 1. The Maya proper, including the Lacandons. 2. The Chontals of Tabasco, on and near the coast west of the mouth of the Usumacinta. 3. The Tzendals, south of the Chontals. 4. The Zotzils, south of the Tzendals. 5. The Chaneabals, south of the Zotzils. 6. The Chols, on the upper Usumacinta. 7. The Chortis, near Copan. 8. The Kekchis, and 9. The Pocomchis, in Vera Paz. 10. The Pocomams. } 11. The Mams. } 12. The Kiches. } 13. The Ixils. } In or bordering on Guatemala. 14. The Cakchiquels. } 15. The Tzutuhils. } 16. The Huastecs, on the Panuco river and its tributaries, in Mexico. The languages of these do not differ more, in their extremes, than the French, Spanish, Italian and other tongues of the so-called Latin races; while a number resemble each other as closely as the Greek dialects of classic times.