COMMUNITY PARTNERS
EDITORIAL CHOLSAMAJ
+502 2230 3301
5A Calle 0-47, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
We are Editorial Cholsamaj, an institution that works for the cultural strengthening in Guatemala. Our name comes from Kaqchikel: Chol means “successive order” and Samaj means “work,” reflecting our commitment to the planning and systematization of Mayan knowledge. Since before 1990, we have produced educational materials to make visible the cultural wealth of the Maya people and to promote respect between different people from the country.
We specialize in the publishing of books written by Mayan authors and other authors, addressing issues of identity, language, and worldviews. We have more than 350 titles of our own and have formed alliances with local and international organizations. Also, we offer graphic design and printing services, always with the objective of preserving and disseminating ancestral knowledge.
We believe in cultural diversity as a fundamental pillar for the development of a just and equitable society. Our work is based in respect, solidarity, and the reaffirmation of the identity of Indigenous peoples. We use technology to strength our educational work and to promote spaces for democratic participation in building a future with dignity, education, and cultural pertinence.
CENTRO TECNOLÓGICO BILINGÜE, San Miguel, Tucuru
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala – Q'eqchi' and Spanish collaborative partner
We are a technological, educational, comprehensive, bilingual, intercultural, evolutionary, organized, efficient, and opportunity-generating center for meaningful learning, with trained and committed professional staff in the constant formation of students; to improve their personal development based on principles, values, linguistic diversity, ecological awareness, and a culture of peace, in the municipality of San Miguel Tucurú, Department of Alta Verapaz.
The Bilingual Technological Center was authorized on January 18, 2021, under Departmental Resolution – AC No. 50-2021, issued by the Departmental Directorate of Education of Alta Verapaz. We are located in Barrio La Vega, Municipality of Tucurú, department of Alta Verapaz. In our country, one of the biggest barriers to individual and collective development is the inefficient education of a traditional system that is no longer applicable to the technological and pedagogical changes of today. Therefore, our fundamental objective is to provide quality education; which implies a sacrifice and greater effort for the benefit of children and young people. Our teachers are trained to provide effective education in the area of reading and writing from the early grades, fundamental bases for the following years of schooling. Most of our teachers work without receiving a monthly salary; however, they carry out efficient work worthy of admiration. Our motto is: Bilingual Technological Center “A different way of learning.”
We are proud to collaborate with the Mayan Languages Preservation Project to ensure equal access to our languages in all manners of life and learning. We are also committed to the preservation of our Mayan languages through the National Base Curriculum and through institutions that support such projects, motivating students to become bilingual individuals and professionals by learning a Mayan language, Spanish, and English. Our regional Mayan languages are primarily Q’eqchi’ and Poqomchi’.
APRENDIZAJE DEL IDIOMA MAYA POQOMAM
Our commitment is the strengthening and revitalization of the language Maya Poqomam. Since 2014, an initiative has been undertaken to promote the language Poqomam, on a Facebook page called Aprendizaje del Idioma Maya Poqomam. This space has allowed the dissemination of songs, literary resources such as music, riddles, and more, as well as audios and texts for the teaching and learning of the language Maya Poqomam. This effort was made possible by the conviction of Professor Jose Luis Conguache Coj, whose experience as a teacher allowed him to mediate teaching resources that would allow learning Maya Poqomam in the educational system.
We also want to acknowledge and thank the support provided by all the people who have participated in the courses for learning Maya Poqomam and to those who have created content that continues to be distributed on the page for free. Our longing is that these materials can be used to strengthen the language and the identity of the Poqomam people.