Guatemala

Study

Dance

Dancing is everything in Guatemala (a party is thought to be a flop unless people are dancing). The most popular formal style is merengue, with salsa coming more or less second. Dance schools in Quetzaltenango and Antigua can help you get your groove on at a fraction of the price you’d pay back home.

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Language

Guatemala is celebrated for its many language schools. A spot of study here is a great way not only to learn Spanish but also to meet locals and get an inside angle on the culture. Many travelers heading down through Central America to South America make Guatemala an early stop so they can pick up the Spanish skills they need for their trip.

Guatemalan language schools are a lot cheaper than those in Mexico, but few people go away disappointed. There are so many schools to choose from that it’s essential to check out a few before deciding. It’s not hard to see whether a school is professional and well organized, or whether its teachers are qualified and experienced.

Antigua is the most popular place to study, with about 75 schools. Quetzaltenango, the second most popular, perhaps attracts a more serious type of student; Antigua has a livelier students’ and travelers’ social scene. San Pedro La Laguna and Panajachel on the Lago de Atitlán both have a handful of language schools, and if you’d like to learn Spanish while hanging out in a remote mountain town, there are schools in Todos Santos Cuchumatán and Nebaj. On average, schools charge US$110 to US$120 for four hours of one-on-one classes five days a week and accommodation with a local family.

Studying in a small town has its pros and cons. On the upside, you may be the only foreigner around, so you won’t be speaking any English. On the downside, Spanish may be the second language of the inhabitants of the village (including your teacher), meaning that you could pick up all sorts of bad habits.

You can start any day at many schools, any week at all of them, and study for as long as you like. All decent schools offer a variety of elective activities from salsa classes to movies to volcano hikes. Many schools offer classes in Mayan languages as well as Spanish.

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Weaving

Guatemalan fabrics are famed worldwide, mostly because they are produced by a trad-itional method known as back strap weaving. If you’d like to learn this craft, lessons are available in San Pedro La Laguna and Quetzaltenango.

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Language

There are 21 Mayan indigenous languages used in and around Guatemala, but Spanish is still the most commonly spoken language, and what visitors will encounter on a daily basis. If you’re keen to try out some Mayan languages, see the short and sweet Mam and K’iche’ sections at the end of this chapter.

It’s easy enough to pick up some basic Spanish, but for those who want to delve a little deeper, courses are available in Antigua, Panajachel, San Pedro La Laguna, Nebaj, Quetzaltenango, Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Monterrico, Cobán and near Flores. Alternatively, before you leave home you can study books, records and tapes, resources that are often available free at public libraries. Evening or college courses are also an excellent way to get started.

For a more comprehensive guide to the Spanish of Guatemala, get a copy of Lonely Planet’s Latin American Spanish Phrasebook.

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