Together We Cultivate The Future
The Intercultural Educational Community Taa’ Pi’t NGO
Founded in 2006 as a basic extracurricular program, emerged from the initiative of indigenous members of the Tz’utujil community. Its goal is to provide intercultural education to Tz’utujil Maya children aged 7 to 11, with special attention to the mothers and families of these children. The objective is to integrate the knowledg, practices, and values of the Tz’utujil Maya into the educational program, thereby creating opportunities for the local community. CIE Taa’ Pi’t was initiated in response to the poor educational quality, the threat facing the Tz’utujil culture, and the environmental challenges of Lake Atitlán, locally known as “Mother Lake Atitlan.”
PROGRAMS: Currently, CIE Taa’ Pi’t operates three educational programs for the benefit of its students. One of these programs also benefits mothers, and a second one caters to the needs of the general public. Each of the programs is approached from the perspective of the Mayan Tz’utujil culture, through their respective projects with the aim of restoring the sacred balance of life, i.e., reclaiming the Mayan ecology of the community, starting with its students and parents. Below is a detailed summary of the learning areas found in the three different educational programs.
EDUCATION FOR LIFE
Mother Lake Atitlán – Mother Earth:
- Transmission of ancestral agricultural knowledge.
- Application in orchards, preservation of native seeds, use of organic fertilizer.
- Connection with nature: soil preparation, crop association, agronomic management.
- Respect, care for, and protect Lake Atitlán, promote food production, and food security.
Essence of Our Foods:
- Promotion of healthy eating: salads, organic drinks, and snacks.
- Prevention of diseases through healthy eating practices.
- Use of natural remedies instead of synthetic medications.
- Promotion of physical exercise, good sleep, and sustainable practices in the kitchen.
Maya Tz’utujil Culture:
- Teaching in the native language of community and ancestral knowledge and practices.
- Strengthening values such as respect, work, service, one’s word, and cooperation.
- Strengthening family and community bonds.
- Development of skills, gifts, and energy (nagual-based in Mayan astrology) of each child.
Essence of our Foods
Nutrition Workshop:
- Mothers participate in cooking workshops.
- Learn about the importance of healthy eating.
- Benefits include improved defenses, child development, and growth.
- Awareness of the consequences of “junk food.”
- Teaching food preparation, drinks, snacks, condiments, and natural remedies.
- Promotion of the recovery of spirituality in ancestral community gastronomy.
Sacred Balance in our Paradise
Model Garden:
- Garden of approximately 560 square meters.
- Five cultivation areas: milpa system, vegetables, medicinal plants, banana circle, and lemon trees.
- Based on ancestral agriculture and worked by the children.
- Design based on didactic learning such as lunar phases and extinct native fish.
- Oriented according to the cardinal, movement of the sun, and winds.
- Complemented with a seedbed and compost biofactory.
Seedbed: Uses
- Located in a bamboo greenhouse with didactic design.
- Promotes the germination of native and creole seeds.
- Use of organic substrates prepared by the children.
- Experimentation with bamboo trays and recycled materials to reduce plastic use.
Compost Biofactory:
- Production of organic fertilizers and agricultural bio-inputs.
- Educational, ecological, community, and cultural design.
Website: www.taapit.org