Mayan Language Institute 2024

The final Stone Center Summer Abroad program has begun! Students convened in Guatemala on Saturday, June 22 to launch the Mayan Language Institute. Over the next six weeks, they will live with local families and immerse themselves in either Kaqchikel or K’iche’ Maya language and culture. The FLAS-eligible language program features interactive demonstrations, grammar lectures, individualized practice, field excursions, and collaborative research.

This year, seven students (including three Tulanians) join Prof. Judith Maxwell in Ciudad Vieja to study Kaqchikel Maya. They will work with a team of experienced local instructors led by Prof. Ixnal Ambrocia Cuma Chávez and including Ixkamey Magda Silvia Sotz Mux, Mokchewan Marco Antonio Guaján Cristal, Aq’ab’al Gonzalo Ticun Quel, and Lajuj B’atz’ Edy Rene Guaján. 

Ten more students have opted to study K’iche’ Maya with Profs. Telma Can Pixabaj (CIMSUR-UNAM), Malcolm Miguel Botto (BYU), and Manuela Tahay Tzaj (UT-Austin), as well as a team of local instructors from Nahualá, Sololá: Nan Silveria Yamanic Ixmatá, Tat Pascual Roberto Tahay Tzaj, and Nan Pascuala Guarchaj Tziquin. Though this group spent the first days of the program exploring Antigua, they will spend most of the summer in Xela (Quetzaltenango), where the program partners with the local nonprofit DESGUA.

With offerings from the beginning to advanced levels, the MLI attracts students from across institutions and disciplines. The 2024 cohort, for example, includes graduate and undergraduate students from a dozen institutions, whose interests range from Linguistics to History to Environmental Studies. You’ll have the chance to meet some of these incredible students over the next few weeks. Follow our social media for regular student profiles.

If you are interested in learning more about the Mayan Language Institute visit our Summer Programs page.