To support the educational and professional advancement of the Maya people and neighboring indigenous cultures in southern Mexico, Belize and Central America, and to sustain programs that foster study, preservation and understanding of those cultures.
DONATE BY MAIL OR PHONE:
If you prefer to donate by mail, please make check payable to Maya Educational Foundation and send to:
Maya Educational Foundation
P.O. Box 1483
Wellfleet, MA 02667, USA
Or call us at:
Tel. (508) 349-1330
MEF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All contributions are U.S. tax-deductible.
MEF on
Annual Board Meeting held August, 2012
MEF held its annual
board meeting August 13-15, 2012 in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was good to have a complete board
attendance in this 20th year of MEF’s existence and the meetings went well, but
we had the sad task of saying farewell to our long-time president, Marilyn Moors
and Vice-president, Brenda Rosenbaum.
We are lucky to have had
their input for so many years and we thank them both very much for their
service!
We are grateful to Board
members Christine Eber and Pablo Chavajay, respectively, who stepped up to fill
these posts for the next year.
Marilyn Moors was very
pleased to receive the collected, special greetings, note cards, and gifts and
to hear that, in conjunction, with the Guatemala Scholars Network members, a
fundraiser had resulted in over $7,000 for a university scholarship in her honor
for a student in Guatemala.
We thank the Guatemala
Scholars Network for their wonderful response to this fund
drive.
MEF Board Members
Christopher Lutz and Elisabeth Nicholson
speaking about fundraiser
MEF outgoing Board President,
Marilyn Moors
On Video
University scholarship
students speak in this video
2012 Maya Meetings
Vancouver Marathon
The 2012 Maya Meetings:
Beyond the Glyphs: Ancient Maya were held in March 12-15 at UT-Austin’s new academic and conference center for Mesoamerican studies, the Casa Herrera, a beautifully restored 17th-century mansion located near the center of La Antigua, Guatemala’s colonial capital.
Six MEF university students were able to attend the meetings thanks to a donation from a long-time MEF supporter. Besides expanding their knowledge, they gained a better understanding of their ancestors' writing system. They are now not only passing on this new knowledge to their fellow students but also applying it to their careers and lives. Their only regret after the event was that it was attended by so few Mayas.
We thank the donor for making this opportunity available to MEF students and the students for sharing their new insights.
Two of FEPMaya students with
Dr. David Stuart and Dr. Wendy Kramer
Running for Education in Guatemala
This May, MEF supporter Meera Patankar ran the Vancouver Half Marathon to benefit Tz'utujil Maya students in the San Pedro La Laguna, Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala.
The English Language Program has just completed the 8th year teaching a 2 week intensive English course in Antigua, Guatemala to Maya university students. This photography project was sponsored by a local church in Hanover, NH which funded the purchase of digital cameras. Students went out in small groups to take photos of the city, each other, architectural sites etc and then discussed these photographs in English class. Several of the students had never used a camera before; you can see the creativity and talent that was "unleashed". This is just one of the opportunities that students and volunteers share in this cross-cultural, cross-generational program. And, some English is learned as well!
Christine Eber's (MEF Board member)
most recent publication
We're pleased to announce the publication of The Journey of a Tzotzil-Maya Woman of Chiapas, Mexico, a book co-authored by Christine Eber and "Antonia," a Tzotzil-Maya woman from Chenalho, Chiapas.
Most recent books about Chiapas, Mexico, focus on political conflicts and the indigenous movement for human rights at the macro level. None has explored those conflicts and struggles in-depth through an individual woman's life story. The Journey of a Tzotzil-Maya Woman of Chiapas, Mexico now offers that perspective in one woman's own words. Anthropologist Christine Eber met "Antonia" in 1986 and has followed her life's journey ever since. In this book, they recount Antonia's life story and also reflect on challenges and rewards they have experienced in working together, offering insight into the role of friendship in anthropological research, as well as into the transnational movement of solidarity with the indigenous people of Chiapas that began with the Zapatista uprising.
"For those of you who did not get a chance to hear the radio interview where I talked about What War? Testimonies of Maya Survivors, you can hear it online at:
The show was cut off after 1/2 hour. There are 15 minutes more that are included here as well."
Laurie Levinger
ELP Jan. 2011
Volunteering in Chiapas
English Language Program in Antigua
by Susan Feinberg
For many years, as a former board member and office manager for Maya Educational Foundation, my participation in the English Language Program occurred stateside, providing administrative, logistical and moral support. I met many of the other teachers at various MEF functions and enjoyed the stories about their experiences. This year, I had the opportunity to participate as a volunteer.
I arrived in Guatemala with all the trepidations of first time volunteers, not sure what to expect, anxious about the routine, not sure what the students would be like, not sure if I would measure up as a teacher. The curriculum, developed by volunteers over the seven years of the program, had evolved into an organized and logical schedule, with the flexibility to allow for students at all different levels of English proficiency...
In Chiapas, we are very grateful to Steve Homer who is spending two months in San Cristóbal, volunteering his services for MEF. This is his seventh time! He is teaching English and computer skills, is in close contact with FOMMA and Sna Jtz’ibajom, visited with MEF grant recipient Radio Cultural in Tenejapa, and is checking up on all MEF programs in Mexico, including students in Chenalhó and the Chuj region. Steve has also taken the initiative and visited with some students who have received MEF support in the past.
Below are some links to his reports and awesome photographs:
The 2012 Maya Meetings:
We thank the donor for making this opportunity available to MEF students and the students for sharing their new insights.
Most recent books about Chiapas, Mexico, focus on political conflicts and the indigenous movement for human rights at the macro level. None has explored those conflicts and struggles in-depth through an individual woman's life story. The Journey of a Tzotzil-Maya Woman of Chiapas, Mexico now offers that perspective in one woman's own words. Anthropologist Christine Eber met "Antonia" in 1986 and has followed her life's journey ever since. In this book, they recount Antonia's life story and also reflect on challenges and rewards they have experienced in working together, offering insight into the role of friendship in anthropological research, as well as into the transnational movement of solidarity with the indigenous people of Chiapas that began with the Zapatista uprising.
is in close contact with FOMMA and Sna Jtz’ibajom, visited with MEF grant recipient Radio Cultural in Tenejapa, and is checking up on all MEF programs in Mexico, including students in Chenalhó and the Chuj region. Steve has also taken the initiative and visited with some students who have received MEF support in the past.
