Why Guatemala?
Imagine a land totally unlike home – a land of towering volcanoes, emerald mountains and verdant rain forests. Imagine ancient ruins and streets straight out of the Spanish colony. Guatemala, the heart of the Mayan world, provides an experience unlike any other in the Americas or on the planet.
Guatemala is a global biodiversity hotspot. Guatemala’s tropical location, ranges of mountains and microclimates makes it the perfect place to study life, the environment and social diversity.
Guatemala is the heart of the Mayan universe. The greatest cities flourished here long ago and it was the ancient center of commerce and culture as well as the religious epicentre for the Mayan people.
The greatest literary and sacred work, the Popol Vuh, was written in Chichicastenango and it is still home to the largest number of Indigenous Maya people who continue to practice their ancient religion. The Popol Vuh is a creation story that tells of the creation of the Maya- Quiché people and of their conquest by the Spanish. Chichi, as it is now affectionately known, is also home to the largest open air market in Latin America.
Travelers from around the world–nearly 2 million of them a year–visit this fascinating country, yet it never feels “touristy”.
The Transformational Learning Experience
Transformational learning changes your life. It combines classroom time with field work to expose you to a whole new world in an immediate and meaningful way.
You will see and touch what you study, and whether your interest is in social justice and development, Mayan culture past or present, or in preserving the natural world, your journey will bring your studies alive.
Lending a Helping Hand
Service learning lets you give something back. In La Unión, near Coatepeque, you experience Guatemalan village life, visit an Access Education school where you bring your special brand of optimism and hope to the children so that they, too, can know there is a better future for them.
Your time with the children of La Unión will be an experience you will never forget.
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