The population of Guatemala was estimated in July 2008 to be at approximately 13 million. Approximately 40 percent are considered to be of mestizo descent (also known as Ladino). Ladino is a mixture of Spanish and Amerindian. The other 60 percent are made up of Maya Amerindians, including groups such as Mam, Kaqchikel and K’iche. The largest percentage of the Maya population lives in the highlands. More people of Mayan descent live in the countryside than in the cities, with the greatest populations found in Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango, and the strip of land between the two. There are smaller pockets of Mayan people in other rural areas of the country, such as Petén.