In the Cuchumatanes Mountains, a young woman rises to grind corn on a stone petate, and along Avenida Reforma, businessmen tuck into air-conditioned office buildings. Students explore this country of contrasts where steamy jungles rise to meet towering volcanic peaks and traditional forms of dress walk alongside Armani suites.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Deepen your Spanish language skills through personalized instruction and an extended homestay on Lake Atitlán.
• Explore the vibrant colors, flavors, and ancestral landscapes of the Maya people.
• Support community projects and social justice movements through a range of learning service initiatives.

Our course begins in Antigua, where we explore colorful markets, hike through coffee plantations and begin our first Spanish lessons. We ride the infamous camioneta—a colorful and chromed-out version of a 1990s Blue Byrd school bus—to the sparkling shores of sacred Lake Atitlan, and settle in for a week of homestays at our program base in the town of San Juan la Laguna.  In the mornings, we participate in intensive language instruction at a local school, and in the afternoons we immerse ourselves in Tz’utujil culture through independent projects and time with gracious host families.

Crossing the lake to the town of San Lucas Toliman, we engage in a service project at the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute, learning about traditional agriculture and the ethics of service engagement in an intercultural context.

Our final leg takes us into the cloud forests of the highlands where we hike, rest in hammocks, converse with our new Spanish vocabulary, and reflect on all we’ve learned about indigenous rights and Guatemala’s grassroots revolutionaries.

Hear more from our Director of Programming in this recent webinar.