Nahual Institute for Global Studies

SUMMER 2010 Program dates: July 2nd to July 23th

International Security and Conflict Resolution: The Impacts of Civil War in Guatemala 1954-present

Download the Summer brochure now.

Application Deadline: January 2, 2010

WINTER 2011

Application Deadline: TBA

Download the Winter brochure now.

International Security and Conflict Resolution: The Impacts of Civil War in Guatemala 1954-present.

The center of the “Mundo Maya,” Guatemala is the northernmost and most populated country in Central America, and the only one that is predominantly Mayan in language and culture. Over 60 percent of the population is classified as Amer-Indian, and there are 23 recognized language groups with 100 or more regional variants. Among the Mayan groups are Mam, Kaqchikel, Tz’utujil, K’iche’, Chuj, Ixil, Q’anjob’al, Q’eqchi’ and Mopan. Extensive Mayan and colonial ruins exist throughout the country. There is also a Garifuna population, of African descent, located along Guatemala’s Caribbean coast. With beautiful villages, mountains, beaches, lakes, jungles and volcanoes and a year-round balmy climate, Guatemala is known as “the land of eternal spring.” Yet the country has also been the center of violent political conflict. In addition to providing an opportunity to learn about Indigenous culture and society and to enjoy the natural beauty of the region, studying in Guatemala allows you to experience life in a country struggling to recover and achieve peace, justice and stability after 36 years of civil war.

Program Focus

The Winter 2004 Study Abroad Program in Guatemala focuses on the history of political struggle, armed conflict and conflict resolution in Guatemala, with a particular emphasis on the Mayan Communities in Resistance. The program integrates academic study with direct cultural immersion in order to promote justice and solidarity within a meaningful learning experience. Coursework is augmented by guest lectures, volunteer opportunities, and field trips to museums, cultural centers, Mayan villages, grassroots organizations, health centers and institutions working on social justice and national security issues.

Course Description

The role of US foreign policy towards Guatemala.
Examination of Indigenous, Peasant, and Student Movements
The history of armed conflict in Guatemala: Mayan Communities in Resistance
The Peace Agreement: formation of political parties and the United Nations

Guest Speakers and Field Trips

Former guerrilla commanders and Guatemalan military personnel
Liberation Theologians and members of Christian Base Communities (CEBs)
Ex-government ministers and officials
Human Rights activists
Grassroots community organizers
Mayan Language Academy linguists
Maya priests/priestesses
CONAVIGUA (National Coordination of Widows of Guatemala)
Repatriated refugee communities
Indigenous marketplaces and villages

Homestay and Location

You will spend two weeks living with host families in Antigua, Guatemala. When on excursions away from Antigua you will stay in a hotel accompanied by Nahual Institute staff. Antigua, Guatemala is the largest and most beautiful colonial city in Latin America, designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. With its beautiful “Parque Central,” and majestic colonial churches and fountains, Antigua is home to many restaurants, cafes, art galleries, antique shops, stores, banks, pharmacies, Internet cafes, a library, hospital, movie theater and cultural center, as well as several open-air markets where Indigenous vendors sell handmade “cosas tipicas.”

Faculty

Programs in Guatemala are interdisciplinary collaborations between the Nahual Institute for Global Studies, the Rafael Landivar Jesuit University, and the Latin American College of Social Sciences(FLACSO). The Rafael Landivar Jesuit University is one of the top academic institutions in Guatemala. FLACSO is an intergovernmental body that was established by the Latin American states in 1957 with the guidance and funding of UNESCO. The primary objective of FLACSO is to promote social science study and research in Latin America and the Caribbean. Courses are team-taught by faculty from United States and Guatemalan Universities

Program Instructors

Ignacio Ochoa, M.A., a native of Quirigua, Guatemala, is adjunct faculty at the Center for Latin American Studies and the International Security and Conflict Resolution Program at San Diego State University (SDSU). A former Jesuit scholar from Central America, he holds Master’s degrees in Latin American Studies and Philosophy, and has worked in Indigenous, rural and refugee communities in Panama, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. Mr. Ochoa has taught courses at San Diego State University, the Harvard University School of Business, Northeastern University, and the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA).

Rodolfo Rubio Pérez, M.A., is an economics professor and the Director of the Rafael Landivar Jesuit University in Escuintla, Guatemala. A former Jesuit scholar, with a background in Philosophy, Theology, Economics and Public Administration, he has lived and worked with communities in Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. His community organizing experiences include development and business administration training as well as alternative food production programs. He is also the administrator of several large international grants for distribution to non-profit organizations in Guatemala.

Virgilio Álvarez Aragón, Ph.D., is a sociologist and the Academic Coordinator for the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in Guatemala. Dr. Álvarez is currently involved in the study of political and cultural education as a development strategy in Guatemalan society.

Guatemala Links