Development through Education

Hidden in the Cuchumatanes mountain range, just on the border between Mexico and Guatemala, lies San Mateo, home to the Ixtatan (Ich-tah-ton) people. Below the clouds lives a small community, a “community at war,” says speaker Beth Neville Evans. Through her talk on the Ixtatan Foundation, given here in PVCC, this tale of adversity and determination demonstrates the value of education possible for students like us and growing communities.

The Ixtatan people are a unique people with a rich history. The small community which is located on the ancient Aztec trading route, speaks a dialect of Mayan languages that is a thousand years old. The Ixtatan used to trade salt to sustain their economy, however, are reduced to farming and “remesas,” money sent from the United States through migrant workers.

Albemarle County native and founder of Ixtatan Foundation Beth Neville Evans described the municipality as “a community at war,” during speech on Sept. 26, 2018. The majority of men, once they have reached adulthood, are sent to the United States to work in various factories and farms to make money in order to sustain this small people and to create a “nest egg” for a future business in San Mateo. However, this is not enough to sustain the economy and community for the Ixtatan, and it is expensive and difficult to return to their home.

Despite the many trials the Ixtatan people have experienced, Evans got a bright idea. While assisting in providing a surgery for a man of the Ixtatan people, he mentioned to Evans that his community never had a high school. Evans quickly realized that through education, the Ixtatan may be able to thrive and develop through the many opportunities and future a high school education can provide.

Since 2005, the Ixtatan community’s first high school welcomed its first class of 31 students, and today educates up to 300 students. With both local and non-guatemalan educators, the students have been given educational tools and opportunities to motivate them to work harder toward sustainable projects for their community, some of which receiving scholarships to competitive latin universities.

While the future of the Ixtatan community is yet to be determined, the Ixtatan people are redeveloping and thriving under the ability to receive education.