Spanish IV Welcomes Member of the Mayan Quiché Indigenous Community
They say, “Life is full of surprises." Last Friday the Spanish IV class was pleasantly surprised, and we had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs. María Genoveba Ajca de Xum to our Country Day community.
Thanks to our special guest, we traveled to San Andrés Xecul, located in the highlands of Guatemala in the Department (equivalent of state) of Totonicapán. Mrs. Ajca de Xum is a native of Guatemala and a member of the Mayan Quiché indigenous community. She gave an outstanding presentation on Guatemala’s rich and complex cultural heritage, beautiful textile art, daily life, Quiché language revitalization efforts, ethnic and linguistic diversity. Her presentation was in Spanish, and we learned a few words in Quiché. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the perspective of a Guatemalan Mayan Quiché.
Mrs. Ajca de Xum's visit provided a relevant learning experience to our Spanish IV students by enhancing their understanding of the diverse, rich and complex reality of Guatemala. This year, we have connected with local and global representatives of the Spanish-speaking world and discussed questions of diversity, global citizenship, dignity and many more. Students have been able to think critically about cultures and across boundaries. We look forward to continue our mission to build communities in partnerships for a better world.
Maltiox chawe/Thank you to the Reyes Xum family (Joshua Reyes '17) for such an enriching learning opportunity!
