Introduction to K’iche’ Culture

Catalog description

This course in an introduction to K’iche’ (Maya) culture for students participating in the Mayan Language Institute realized in Guatemala in the municipalities of Antigua and Nahualá. The course will cover basic issues in K’iche’ culture and society and present hands-on workshops dealing with specific aspects of the culture. Topics will include kinship patterns and relationships, social interactions, gender roles, religious practices, arts and crafts, and economic structures. Students will have direct experience learning about K’iche’ cuisine, milpa agriculture, weaving, religious ceremonies, calendrical practices, and ceremonial and ritual observances. In addition, students will study examples of contemporary art, music, and literature, including the work of K’iche’ poets such as Humberto Ak’abal and Pablo Garcia.