Intensive Summer Language and Cultural Course

Study Kaqchikel Maya in Antigua Guatemala
June 16 - July 25

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Kaqchikel, one of the principal Mayan languages, is spoken by more than a half-million people in highland Guatemala. Its long literate tradition, including texts from the XVI Century, continues today as literary and pedagogical works in the modern language are published in ever-growing numbers. Tulane University with funding from the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation is offering for the ninth year an intensive six-week course in this vital language and its culture.

Kaqchikel speakers play a pivotal role in the Mayan struggle to regain control over their cultural and linguistic destiny. This program offers a unique firsthand glimpse at the complete and fascinating process as a traditionally marginalized language is standardized for use in education and publication. By working closely with their Kaqchikel colleagues, course participants gain new perspectives and contacts that can enrich their scholarship immeasurably.

The summer school begins in beautiful colonial Antigua Guatemala, with frequent field trips to nearby sites. Daily instruction includes small and large group language learning with Kaqchikel instructors, grammar analysis with linguists, and cultural orientation with guest speakers from surrounding communities. Later weeks are spent in two Kaqchikel communities: Tecpan, site of the pre-Hispanic capital lximche'; and San Juan Comalapa, home to famous weavers and painters.

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Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies
Tulane University

Institute for Latin American Studies
University of Texas at Austin