Preserving a tradition
By Julie DeLuca
SAN JUAN CHAMELCO, Guatemala – Viviana Cucul Tun, 16, practices weaving a guipil, part of K’ekchi indigenous dress. She attends classes at Bezaleel, a K’ekchi Mennonite Education Center, which provides education for youth in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.
One of the school’s aims is to preserve K’ekchi language, culture and traditions, including weaving. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) provides funds for the vocational arts classes, which also include sewing, carpentry, welding, organic agriculture and health care. MCC also partners with Fundameno, a K’ekchi Mennonite foundation that gives scholarships for students to attend Bezaleel. (MCC photo by Melissa Engle)
Julie DeLuca was an MCC summer writing intern during summer 2007.
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