Indigenous Central America

Resources for teaching and learning about Indigenous Central Americans.

Indigenous History in Central America

In this unit for middle school developed as part of the Central American Studies in K-12 Curriculum Project, students learn about four Central American Indigenous leaders and their fights for their land and equality. First students learn about Tecun Uman as a whole group. In groups they then learn about one of the following modern Central American indigenous leaders: Rigoberta Menchú (Maya K’iche’), Berta Cáceres (Lenca), or Rodrigo Tot (Maya Q’eqchi’). They then create a comic strip version of one of the resistance fighters to share with elementary students.

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Resistance and Advocacy of Marginalized Communities (Dual Immersion Spanish)

In this dual immersion Spanish mini-unit developed as part of the Central American Studies in K-12 Curriculum Project, 4th grade students explore the Garifuna and their history of forced migration and displacement. They also study the beneficiaries of erasure, as well as the resistance and advocacy of minoritized groups in the U.S. Students create a multi-media collage representing a minoritized group and their journey of resisting erasure in the face of oppressive systems.

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Native Land Digital Map shows Indigenous territories, languages, and treaties.

Popol Vuh Maya Creation Story video and Popol Vuh Maya Creation Story PDF. The Popol Vuh narrates the Maya creation story, the tales of the Hero Twins, and the account of the creation of the sky, the Earth, and all life. Created by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Smithsonian’s NMAI “Living Maya Time” website includes information about the Maya people and curricular resources for teachers.