Proyecto Lingüistico Quetzalteco de Español

06/03/2026

27/11/2025

Feliz aniversario a PLQ!

This past week, we celebrated 37 years at PLQ. Cake, marimba, futbol—what more could you ask for?

Carlos, our director, extends his personal gratitude for all the students, teachers and staff who have made this proyecto possible.

He pulls from the Argentinian singer Victor Heredia, saying:

“We are all survivors. There will always be those who think to build weapons, who think to promote wars. We will think of ourselves as survivors. Through these adversities, we continue with our will to live, and we continue our will to sing”

Here’s to many more years 🫶🍉

24/10/2025

Lamentamos profundamente el fallecimiento de Sara Hebo. Enviamos un abrazo solidario a su familia y seres queridos. Descanse en paz.

22/10/2025

El 17 de octubre de 1987, dos dirigentes estudiantiles fueron capturados por el ejército aquí en Xela. Sus cuerpos fueron encontrados dos días después, mu***os y con señales de tortura. Sus nombres: Danilo Alvarado y Rene Leiva Caiyax.

Esta semana pasada invitamos al compañero a dar un concierto en homenaje a los mártires Danilo y Rene. Ellos se organizaron con la guerrilla contra el gobierno corrupto y las desigualdades sociales que continúan en Guatemala hasta el día de hoy.

La escuela PLQ se fundó en su honor en 1988, como una forma de concienciar sobre lo que estaba ocurriendo aquí durante esa época. Ahora, continuamos con esta misión para que todos puedan reconocer la injusticia y la lucha que aún existe en este país.

Gracias Paco!

ENG:
On October 17, 1987, two student leaders were captured by the army here in Xela. Their bodies were found two days later, dead and with signs of torture. Their names: Danilo Alvarado and Rene Leiva Caiyax.

This past week we invited comrade to give a concert in homage to martyrs Danilo and Rene, who organized with the guerrilla against the corrupt government and social inequalities that continue in Guatemala to this day.

PLQ was founded in their honor in 1988 as a way to raise awareness of what was happening in the country during that time. Now, we continue this mission so that everyone can recognize the injustice and struggle that still exists in this country.

Thank you Paco!

01/08/2025

In 1998, 52 families who had fled Guatemala in the face of political persecution during the country’s civil war and had taken refuge in Mexico for 15 years returned to their home country. As part of the state’s recently signed peace accords, these families were able to re-integrate and establish their own community in the rural western region of Guatemala: Nuevo Amanecer.

This past weekend, PLQ students and teachers got the chance to visit this community to celebrate their 27th anniversary! Led by Amaro, our local guide and community organizer, we got to learn about the histories of these families and how they’re carrying on 27 years after coming home.

As a political project of former guerrilla fighters, student activists and liberation theology leaders, the stories held within this community are profound and deeply grounded in a movement for systemic change. Alongside these stories, we had the chance to see their cemetery, their weaving practices and agricultural projects.

As always, PLQ tries to engage students in the complex social and political history of Guatemala alongside their Spanish education—this trip was no exception.

22/07/2025

What we’ve been cooking up at PLQ recently… 😋

Every month, students are invited to join our staff for a cooking class, where we learn to make traditional Guatemalan dishes. Highlights include tamales de chipilín, which are made from local herbs native to the Guatamalan highlands; chilaquilas, an egg dish distinctly different than the better-known Mexican chilaquiles; and rellenitos, sweet plaintains stuffed with black bean paste.

These classes are among a host of activities offered at no extra cost with students’ tuition. Come and learn for yourself!

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ESP:

Todos los meses, invitamos a los estudiantes a una clase de cocina con nuestro personal, donde aprendemos a preparar platos tradicionales guatemaltecos. Entre los platos más destacados están los tamales de chipilín, hechos con hierbas autóctonas del altiplano guatemalteco; las chilaquilas, un plato a base de huevo muy diferente de los más conocidos chilaquiles mexicanos; y los rellenitos, plátanos dulces rellenos de frijoles negros.

Estas clases forman parte de una serie de actividades que se ofrecen sin coste adicional con la matrícula de los estudiantes. ¡Ven y aprende por ti mismo!

23/09/2024

Every Friday, we send off our graduating students for the week with a special lunch prepared by the school. Each student is invited to share a piece of work in Spanish in honor of their studies for the week(s).

Many of our students share about the political impact that the school has had on them through a speech, a piece of art, a poem, or another creative expression. This past week, two of our students shared a beautiful song with us to honor their experience here. Another student shared a beautiful rendition of "We Shall Not Be Moved" in Spanish.

Thank you to all of the students who choose to study with us and share your experiences in Guatemala with our teachers and workers. It's an honor to meet you and be part of your journey.

22/09/2024

Every week, we have a speaker who gives a lecture to our students at the school, along with other activities throughout the week that often revolve around a specific theme. Our guests speak about topics in Guatemala such as indigeneity, the education system, political history, the LGBTQIA+ movement, and more.

In this featured talk, one of our beloved teachers, Maria, taught us about maiz (corn), its importance to the Mayan culture, to the history of Guatemala, and its current economic significance to the country. Corn is central to the Guatemalan people, and according to the Popul Vuh, humans are made of corn.

If you study with us at PLQ, you can learn more about the significance of corn to us, as well as many different political and historical topics in Guatemalan life. To learn more about enrollment, visit https://plqe.org/enroll/.

21/09/2024

Every week is full of activities for our students to participate in! Here are some photos of our students in different communities, on excursions around Xela, and most recently visiting La Voz Popular (the Popular Voice) today, which is a community radio that the guerrillas originally operated for nine years during the Internal Armed Conflict.

Our mission is not just to immerse our students in Spanish, but to do so in a critical political and social context. We hope that our students share what they learn here and bring it to their struggles and their movements wherever they are as well.

And of course, featuring our beloved guide Don Amaro. 🌻🌴

12/09/2024

🛜💻 Study Spanish with us online! 🖥️🛜

Register at plqe.org/online-classes.

Image descriptions as alt text.

05/02/2024

Happy Monday.
¡Feliz lunes! 🌞