International Mayan League

What International Mayan League does

International Mayan League is a Washington, D.C.-based Maya nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1991 that promotes, preserves, and transmits Maya cosmovision, culture, history, and ancestral knowledge while addressing threats to Maya peoples, the earth, and human rights. Its programs span Maya Cosmovision preservation, Human Rights and Advocacy, Environmental Protection, Immigration Support, the Maya Women Delegation, the Gathering of Ancestral Wisdom, LGBTQIA2S+ support, and Land Rights. The organization convenes Maya Ancestral Authorities from Mexico and Guatemala, participates in international forums (including a 2026 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights roundtable), and operates a sister relationship with Liga Maya Guatemala in Quetzaltenango.

The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform. Its principal technical assets are Know Your Rights audiovisual resources produced in 10+ Mayan languages (Ixil, Kaqchikel, K'iche', Mam, Q'anjob'al, Q'eqchi') that are distributed via Google Drive and Facebook, plus a content-rich website and NOJB'EL MAYAB' newsletter. Distribution relies on direct community engagement, coalition partnerships (Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras, Casa Alitas, First Peoples Worldwide, Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), and digital channels rather than software infrastructure.

The business model is a donation-funded nonprofit. Revenue is generated through individual donations, a monthly donor program, and fundraising campaigns, with the 'Indigenous Solidarity Fund' (processed via Kindful) as the primary giving vehicle. Grants supplement donations, including funding from First Peoples Worldwide for the Shareholder Advocacy Leadership Training Center. There are no commercial products or services sold, and no disclosed financials, funding rounds, or revenue figures. The beneficiary base spans Maya communities in Iximulew (Guatemala), Mexico, and migrants/refugees in the United States, with a named Washington, D.C. headquarters at Eaton House, 1201 K ST NW, and a small team of 1–10 employees plus a board of directors.

Name

International Mayan League

Legal name

International Mayan League

Website

https://mayanleague.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Mayan League is a Washington, D.C.-based Maya nonprofit founded in 1991 that promotes Maya cosmovision, cultural preservation, human rights advocacy, environmental protection, and immigration support for Maya peoples, migrants, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities through community-led organizing and multilingual digital resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights, Democracy & Rule of Law IGOs (BPADAAAG), Environment, Climate & Sustainable Development IGOs (BPADAAAI), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Indigenous rights advocacy
• Cultural preservation services
• Human rights advocacy
• Immigration support services
• Indigenous language resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization generates revenue primarily through individual donations, monthly donor programs, and fundraising campaigns. The 'Indigenous Solidarity Fund' is the primary donation vehicle, supporting Maya women, youth, and Elders at the frontlines of justice defending Peoples and Mother Earth.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International Mayan League is a Maya-led nonprofit organization that promotes Maya cosmovision, cultural preservation, and environmental advocacy for Indigenous communities. It delivers Know Your Rights audiovisual resources in 10+ Mayan languages, supports indigenous migrants with interpretation and immigration advocacy at the U.S./Mexico border, and engages in human rights and environmental protection work including UN forums. The organization runs the Indigenous Solidarity Fund as its primary donation mechanism and works alongside Maya spiritual leaders, elders, and ancestral authorities.

Product overview

The International Mayan League is a Maya cultural and human rights advocacy organization offering programs in Maya cosmovision preservation, human rights advocacy, environmental protection, immigration support, LGBTQIA2S+ support, land rights, and Indigenous language resources. The organization does not offer a traditional tech product but provides Know Your Rights audiovisual resources in multiple Mayan languages. The Maya Cosmovision Program serves as the foundational cultural framework, with specific programs including Human Rights and Advocacy, Environmental Protection, Immigration Support Services, Maya Women Delegation, Gathering of Ancestral Wisdom, LGBTQIA2S+ Support, Land Rights, and Indigenous Language Resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indigenous Language Resources (Know Your Rights Videos) Audiovisual Know Your Rights (KYR) resources in multiple Mayan languages (Ixil, Kaqchikel, K'iche', Mam, Q'anjob'al, Q'eqchi') created to address information gaps facing Maya refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in North America. Covers ICE raid procedures, Red Cards, and family preparedness plans.
• Maya Cosmovision Program Program dedicated to promoting, preserving, and transmitting Maya cosmovision, worldview, culture, history, and ancestral knowledge through workshops, conferences, seminars, and Maya summits. Serves as the foundational cultural framework of the organization.
• Human Rights and Advocacy Program Advocacy program assisting Maya leaders to engage in human rights forums and use existing mechanisms to safeguard indigenous peoples' rights, including self-determination and collective land rights. Includes participation in UN forums and the roundtable with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Environmental Protection Program Program focused on defending Mother Earth, protecting ancestral lands from extractive industries, and developing the Shareholder Advocacy Leadership Training Center with support from First Peoples Worldwide.
• Immigration Support Services Services addressing forced displacement and immigration challenges faced by Indigenous migrants, including advocacy for language access and cultural support. Includes Know Your Rights materials, interpretation services, and immigration advocacy.
• Maya Women Delegation Program providing Indigenous Language Services at the US/Mexico border (in partnership with Casa Alitas shelter in Tucson, Arizona) and creating audiovisual Know Your Rights resources in Maya languages. Addresses the lack of indigenous language interpretation for arriving families.
• Gathering of Ancestral Wisdom Convenes Maya Ancestral Authorities to address threats to Maya peoples and Mother Earth from development projects and environmental destruction. Unity declared across diverse Maya nations to address environmental threats.
• LGBTQIA2S+ Support Program Resources and workshops addressing the needs of LGBTQ2S+ Indigenous migrant community members, providing cultural accompaniment and sexual diversity awareness. Includes workshops on sexual diversity in Abiayala and interpretation services.
• Land Rights Program Advocacy and resources defending Indigenous land rights and condemning illegal evictions of Maya communities. Supports Maya land defenders against extractive industries and development projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Created Know Your Rights video resources in 10+ Mayan languages covering ICE raid procedures, Red Cards, and family preparedness plans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras (Indigenous Alliance Without Borders)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2019Strategic partnership with long-time indigenous organization dedicated to rights of Original Peoples. Joint consultation on indigenous human rights at U.S.-Mexico border. Collaborated on statement for international bodies on protection of indigenous rights. Agreed to continue collaboration and join moral forces.
• Casa AlitascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMigrant shelter at U.S./Mexico border in Tucson, Arizona where Maya Women Interpreter Delegation provided indigenous language services to arriving families.
• Ama Consultants (Blake Gentry)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInstrumental in coordinating housing, transportation, and developing Know Your Rights video tools in indigenous languages. Committed to language rights and language justice. Worked with Office of Indigenous Languages.
• Office of Indigenous LanguagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the few spaces working to advocate for indigenous language rights. Collaborated on development of Know Your Rights video materials.
• Maya Maiz Roots ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Roberto Cintli Rodriguez invited Mayan League to participate in historic gathering. Connection facilitated through Maya Maiz Roots Conference.
• Maya Ancestral Authorities (Mexico and Guatemala)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiverse Maya nations of Mexico and Guatemala convened three-day gathering 'Ancestral Wisdom for the Defense of Life, Mother Earth and her Natural Elements' in February 2016 in Chiapas, Mexico. Unity declared to address threats from development projects causing environmental destruction.
• Centreville Immigration Forum (CIF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored Grupo Sotz'il dance performance 'Uk'u'x Ulew: Heart of the Earth' preview at St. John's Episcopal Church, Centreville.
• Smithsonian Museum of the American IndianmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented Grupo Sotz'il dance performance 'Uk'u'x Ulew: Heart of the Earth' at the museum in Washington, D.C.
• Standing Rock Sioux TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolidarity partnership with Standing Rock Sioux in #NoDAPL protests. Mayan representatives from Mam and Ixil peoples of Guatemala traveled to Oceti Sakowin Camp to sit with Tribal Council and share experiences defending land and water.
• University of Beloit (International Relations Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership hosting interns. Fall 2015 interns included Fabiola Candela Hernández, Gabriel Quettell, Benjamin Scheel, and Riku Takahashi through collaboration with Dr. Pablo Toral's Global Political Ecology class.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Peoples Worldwide: Indigenous-led organization providing grant funding and capacity-building for indigenous communities' economic and land rights; a current strategic partner funding the League's Shareholder Advocacy Leadership Training Center.
• Indigenous Environmental Network: Indigenous-led environmental advocacy organization that overlaps significantly with the International Mayan League's environmental protection, land rights, and extractive-industries work.
• Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras: Indigenous Alliance Without Borders is a direct peer and longtime strategic partner of the International Mayan League, jointly advocating for indigenous peoples' rights at the U.S.-Mexico border and in international forums.
• Casa Alitas: Migrant shelter at the U.S./Mexico border in Tucson where the International Mayan League's Maya Women Interpreter Delegation provides indigenous language services — direct operational peer in border advocacy.
• Cultural Survival: An indigenous-rights nonprofit focused on supporting Indigenous Peoples' rights, self-determination, and cultural preservation globally — directly comparable to the International Mayan League's mission and advocacy model.

Broad incumbents

• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI): The oldest and largest U.S. organization advocating for tribal sovereignty and indigenous rights — a broad incumbent in indigenous-rights advocacy with overlapping policy and human rights work.
• Amnesty International USA: Broader human rights advocacy organization with overlapping UN-level engagement and human rights forum participation; a broad incumbent rather than a Maya-specific direct peer.

Others

• UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Intergovernmental body where the International Mayan League engages directly; not a direct peer but the institutional counterpart providing the multilateral platform for the League's advocacy.
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: Cultural institution partner that has hosted the League's Grupo Sotz'il performances; comparable in indigenous cultural preservation mission though operating as a museum rather than advocacy NGO.

Emerging players

• American Indian College Fund: Indigenous-led nonprofit focused on Native American education, scholarship, and cultural preservation with comparable community-rooted advocacy, though operating at much larger scale with a U.S.-tribal focus rather than Maya-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mayanleague
• Xx.com/MayanLeague
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-mayan-league-usa-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Mayan League