Program Overview

GUATEMALA OFFERS US AN OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION OUR IDEAS ABOUT IMPERIALISM, INDIGENOUS IDENTITY, AND THE VALUE OF TRADITION.

Unique to Central America, the majority of Guatemala’s population is indigenous. The country thus offers an especially rich context to explore the crossroads of traditional wisdom and ideas of development and progress. Against a backdrop of rolling green mountains and an azure lake, we explore the ways in which Mayan communities maintain traditional ways of life while adapting to an increasingly globalized world.

Program Highlights

• Stay with a family of Maya descent in a rural community alongside the stunning  Lake Atitlan.
• Weave and paint alongside local artisans while learning about the intersection of history and Maya artistic traditions.
• Delve into ancient spiritual traditions with Mayan priests.
• Learn about sustainable agricultural practices and the local’s  relationship to plants at the Meseoamerican Permaculture Institute (IMAP).
• Meander through Chichicastenango, the largest market in Central America. The market is also a fascinating example of how spiritual traditions survived under colonial rule.