Q'eqchi' Grammar Books to Guatemala

My name is Stephen Stewart. I'm a linguist-anthropologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 1973 I went to Guatemala with the Peace Corps to work on Mayan languages, involving training a small team of Q'eqchi' Mayans (pronounced Kekchi) in the structure of their language. Our work was collaborative: I did the training, while they collected words for an extensive dictionary of Q'eqchi'.  

The Q’eqchi’ are Mayan Native Americans who live in remote areas of Guatemala—in the cloud forest in the highlands as well as the tropical lowlands.  Numbering just under a million people, they are small farmers of traditional crops like corn, beans, and squash, but many also work in coffee plantations.


Formal school education for Mayans was totally prohibited by the government until 1944.  It continues to be difficult for the Q'eqchi' children because of the area's remoteness and difficult terrain.  However, it is especially problematic because of the difficulty for the primary level teachers to learn the formal grammar of  Q’eqchi’ in spite of the fact that they speak it.  Students enter schools only knowing how to speak their native Q’eqchi’ but teachers have no tools to teach the children the structure of their language.

To teach Q’eqchi’ is essential to the delivery of much needed education.  And preservation of their native language is inextricably tied to the preservation of their heritage and culture.


Give to this project to distribute, free, 500 copies of the second edition of a unique Q’eqchi’ grammar to the schools where Q’eqchi’ Mayan children are learning as well as to local bookstores, libraries and the community development organizations supporting projects in the Q'eqchi' area. 

This grammar book is my life’s work.  I have just completed this second edition in both Spanish and English. I also teach anthropology and linguistics at Metropolitan State University of Denver (Metro, for short). My favorite classes to teach are Mayan Peoples and Cultures, Cross Cultural Communication, and Mayan Languages and Linguistics. 


BUDGET :
 500 Copies of Book                                           $4500
Airfare for Steve and Juan                            $1500
Car Rental in Guatemala (2 Weeks)           $730
Lodging and Food (2 Weeks)                           $520
Gas                                                                                   $250
TOTAL                                                                         $7500

* We are printing 500 spiral-bound copies of the book in high quality paper here in Colorado.  We plan to establish a printing program in Guatemala to print another 500 and continue to create future copies locally and also create a hardcover version of the book.  

* We (my son Juan, filmmaker/driver/assistant and I) need to rent a 4x4 truck to reach many of the locations in Alta Verapaz which are remote  with difficult terrain. We have calculated that we will need at least 3 tanks of gas for the whole trip.  Gas right now is at $4/gallon.  

* Lodging is around $40/night and food is about $15/day.  We hope to find old friends who might provide lodging for a night or two.

Thanks!