Today, the communities sharing in this Mesoamerican and Caribbean heritage continue a legacy of adaptation to rapid environmental and social challenges. This semester takes a hands-in-the-dirt approach to understanding the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica through extended rural homestays, personalized language study, work on community learning service projects, and examination of grassroots activism.

Program Highlights & Outcomes

• Deepen your Spanish skills and confidence through personalized small group classes and individual homestays with welcoming families
• Support community projects and movements in Guatemala to gain service hours while learning more about what ethical and responsible service looks like in practice
• Immerse yourself with local families through extended individual homestays in urban and rural communities gaining an unparalleled understanding of daily life
• Explore the vibrant colors, flavors, communities and ancestral landscapes of the Guatemalan peoples and learn how to navigate daily life in Latin America
• Visit remote mountain villages as you hike through breathtaking hills and take in a sunrise over the incomparable Lago Atitlán, surrounded by verdant volcanoes
• Engage in conversations about Mayan and Aztec ancestral knowledge and learn directly from indigenous communities about agriculture, spirituality, and medicine of Mesoamerican people

Spanish Language Video

During the Program

In the western highlands of Guatemala, over eighty percent of the population is indigenous Maya, maintaining a legacy of rich cultural strength in the face of external pressures. Living with indigenous families, we work in el campo, learn Spanish in personalized classes, and immerse ourselves in Mesoamerican culture. Herbal healers, weavers, and community leaders share their knowledge through Independent Study Projects (ISPs) while conversations with local NGOs working in human rights, community health, and development provide opportunities to get involved in contemporary struggles for continuity and change in society. Beyond intensive community engagement and homestays, we explore Guatemala’s geographic and cultural diversity through extended travel and hiking expeditions.

The final phase of our itinerary has the option to focus on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast and the vibrant town of Livingston, where we spend time learning with and from Garífuna communities—one of the few Afro-Indigenous peoples of the Americas. With ancestral roots in West Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean, the Garífuna have built diasporic connections across the Americas, with large populations in U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles. During our time in Livingston, we explore Garífuna language, music, food, and spirituality—immersing ourselves in a rich and often overlooked Afro-Indigenous tradition shaped by centuries of migration, resistance, and cultural fusion.

Through a rugged and authentic exploration of some of the most remote regions of Mesoamerica, our semester unearths the complex issues facing indigenous communities working towards sustainable development in a globalizing landscape. With intensive Spanish lessons, rural homestays, and thoughtful learning service engagement, students gain an immersive perspective on our relationships with land, tradition, and community.