Xinca people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 16,214 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Guatemala
|
16,214 |
| Languages | |
| Spanish (Mainly), Xinka (Almost Extinct) | |
The Xinca, also known as the Xinka, are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador, and in the mountainous region to the north.
Their language (the Xinca language) is generally classed as a language isolate with no demonstrated affiliations with other language families, although it has a large number of loan words from Mayan languages.
The Xinka (also spelled Szinca or Xinca) may have been among the earliest inhabitants of southeastern Guatemala, predating the arrival of the Maya and the Pipil. The Xinka themselves spell their name with a 'k' rather than with a 'c'.
In the 2002 National Census, a total of 16,000 individuals identified themselves as Xinka. Today, after a revivalist movement led by the two main Xinka political organizations in Guatemala, a total of 200,000 individuals located in nine communities claim to be Xinka.
Before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century, the eastern portion of the Guatemalan Pacific plain was occupied by the Pipil and the Xinca. The main Xinca territory lay to the east of the main Pipil population in what is now Santa Rosa department; there were also Xinca in Jutiapa.
In Guazacapán, now a municipality in Santa Rosa, Pedro de Alvarado described his encounter with people who were neither Maya nor Pipil, speaking a different language altogether; these people were probably Xinca. At this point Alvarado's force consisted of 250 Spanish infantry accompanied by 6,000 indigenous allies, mostly Kaqchikel and Cholutec. Alvarado and his army defeated and occupied the most important Xinca city, named as Atiquipaque, usually considered to be in the Taxisco area. The defending warriors were described by Alvarado as engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat using spears, stakes and poisoned arrows. The battle took place on 26 May 1524 and resulted in a significant reduction of the Xinca population.
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