Mayan Culture and Language School

Our homestay hostess, Marta, grew up speaking Tz'utujil, the Mayan language local to San Pedro La Laguna.  At some point she learned Spanish, and later English.  How many languages can you speak fluently?  Marta guesses that about 50% of the locals speak Spanish, and the rest speak only Tz'utujil.  This dynamic is changing.  Most of those older than 20 can speak Tz'utujil, while very young children speak primarily Spanish.  Hopefully, the Tz'utujil language won’t decline in the way that many of the Native American languages did in the United States.  The Tz'utujil language is very local.  There are 12 villages around Lake Atitlan.  Three of the villages speak Tz'utujil.  There are at least two other Mayan languages spoken in the other villages. 

One of the very cool things about Guatemala is how the Mayan people have preserved their culture.  Most of the Mayan women in San Pedro still wear traditional (and very colorful) clothing.  They are decked out in beautiful hand-made skirts and huipils (blouse); and skillfully carry packages on their heads.  Although most of the younger men wear clothes like us, older men often wear very colorful woven shirts, pants, and a man purse.  Topped off with a sombrero, they can pull this off without looking girly.  In fact, they are muy macho and I dare you to suggest otherwise.

The girls began today by cooking with Marta.  She has two sons, but confided that she always wanted a daughter so she could cook with her and visit with her.  Enter Kathy, Lynn and Brooke!  The girls made a homemade pineapple marmalade from fresh fruit.  They also made crepes.  I helped by telling them how delicious everything tasted.  Crepes and a cup of coffee made from beans grown right in San Pedro; who could ask for more?

Making marmalade with Marta



The constant Spanish lesson.

 

We had more cooking lessons for lunch.  Brooke and Kathy made tortillas with Marta.  We ate them with a chicken stir fry and it was good.

Life was grand yesterday when all we needed to learn was, “My name is…”  “I am from…”  “Hello, how are you?”  Today, we lost a little baby skin.  We started conjugating irregular verbs (Yo quiero, Tu quieres, El/Ella quiere, Nosotros queremos, Ustedes quieren, Ellos/Ellas quieren).  Bring back any bad memories? 

 

 

Our four hour lesson was interrupted with a ‘crash,’ and people asking if anyone knew CPR.  All of students and instructors kind of stared at each other.  I had CPR training years ago, but was petrified to try it in the real world.  However, if someone actually needed CPR, doing nothing was the worst thing that I could do, so I went upstairs.  It was a huge relief to see that the woman in need was breathing, so no CPR was necessary.  She was having a seizer, and people got her into a safe position as she slowly recovered.  Within 20 minutes, she was walking and being taken to get medical attention.  I think it’s time to get recertified in CPR.

Tomorrow, I’m going on a run with two of the teachers at the Spanish school - Kathy's teacher, Juan Carlos, and my teacher, Manuel.  They are both in their 20s, and when I asked how far they planned on running, they said, “Until we get tired.”  I said, “I don’t get tired.”  They laughed, and exchanged a look like they were going to school me.  I’ll let you know tomorrow if my boasting was a mistake.