Beyond the Textbook: Exploring Indigenous Cultures through Education

Austin dual language teacher Yadi Landaverde found a group of Mexican students she was visiting in the summer of 2023 in Guanajuato who were just as curious about her vibrant East Austin school as she was about theirs. 

“Being able to engage in conversations with sixth graders about their curiosity for what school is like in the United States was a unique opportunity,” said the Perez Elementary fourth grade teacher. “Little did they know that the curiosity was mutual.”

Landaverde was among the Austin school district teachers who traveled to Mexico as part of La Colaborativa Cuauhtli, a group that brings together bilingual elementary school educators around Central Texas to explore Latin American languages and cultures so they can better connect with and support students from diverse backgrounds. 

“I incorporate real-life examples, stories, and cultural references that reflect the diversity of my classroom,” Landaverde said. “(The group) allows me to create content (interactive opportunities, discussions and projects) that not only aligns with educational standards but also brings lessons to life for my students by fostering a deeper understanding of language, heritage, and cultural identity in the classroom.”

Bridging the Gap

Longtime bilingual educator Patricia Núñez Porras created Colaborativa Cuauhtli in the summer of 2022 with administrators at the University of Texas at Austin and funding from the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies Benson through a federal grant. In addition to three immersive trips to Mexico, being part of the colaborativa also includes attending local training opportunities at the Tanko Institute in San Marcos as well as bilingual conferences and workshops through LLILAS at UT. 

Each school year, teachers are selected to be in the cohort and they commit to implementing their classroom lessons for a year after their travel experience, although the program and timeline may vary. 

“We (the colaborativa) talk a lot about our raices, which was one of the reasons we also decided that going and traveling to Mexico would be a way to really immerse ourselves in a different space,” Núñez Porras said. 

In fourth-grade dual language teacher Lizeth Zuniga’s classroom, many students have left their home country at a young age. Others who are born in the U.S. to immigrant parents don’t or can’t return to their parents’ home country. Consequently, they miss the opportunity to experience and learn about their heritage.

That’s where Colaborativa Cuauhtli hopes to bridge the gap of education. The program aims to foster an appreciation for the ancestral roots of Mexico and encourages young learners to explore the significance of indigenous heritage. 

“As an immigrant, returning to my home country (through this program) after many years was an incredible experience,” Zuniga said. “This journey made me reflect on the importance of culturally sustaining pedagogy.”

Diving Deep

It was important for the group to travel to Mexico to deepen their understanding of the diverse histories and traditions that shape many of the students’ backgrounds. The group traveled to Mexico on three separate summer trips to Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Guanajuato.

 “I witnessed how communities can unite, with parents and elders, actively participating in their children’s education and how our communities offer a wealth of strengths that can be shared, taught, and passed down to younger generations,” Zuniga said.

Núñez Porras recalled a student storyteller project called “Nuestras Raíces,” that required students to record interviews with their parents. “It was beautiful,” she said. “They started to ask their parents, ‘where were you from, who are your grandparents, what were their names, what did they do’?” Many parents, she said, expressed how grateful they were to have projects like these to work on with their children, and to share their family history. “These memories and stories are often left behind when immigrating to a new country,” Núñez Porras shared. 

In the Classroom

Back in Austin, Perez and Hart Elementary students have experienced lessons the teachers learned in Mexico from using plants to dye natural string to then using that string to weave looms. 

Earlier this month, the group attended a language and weaving workshop with a professor of the Mayan language K’iche.’ There are also sessions coming up where students will create an abacus using a pre-Hispanic calculation device called nepohualtzintzin.

“Our goals are to create a different experience for our communities, our families, the students, highlighting or uplifting the cultural knowledge that comes with living in our communities,” Núñez Porras said. 

TO LEARN MORE: For more details or information on how to get involved, email lacolaborativaproject@gmail.com.