Putún refers to a Mayan ethnic group located on the periphery of Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The term is generally considered a synonym for the Chontal Maya, though it has also been used to refer to the closely related Chʼol people.
The Putun were originally based in the delta of the Usumacinta and Grijalva Rivers, an area characterized by swamps, lakes, and waterways where aquatic transport was a dominant mode of travel. They established two primary urban centers: Potonchán, located at the mouth of the Grijalva River in present-day Tabasco, and Itzamkanac, situated near the Candelaria River at the Laguna de Términos in Campeche.