Flor Del Maiz

Our Mission
Flor Del Maiz Spanish School, located in San Pedro La Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, is committed to improving the social and economic position of the impoverished peoples of Guatemala, especially the marginalized Mayan community.   To this end Flor Del Maiz Spanish School pursues three goals:

1)    To provide affordable, quality Spanish instruction to foreigners so that they are able to learn about Guatemalan culture, and the problems facing the people here, first hand.

2)    To use the school’s resources to promote ecological and social projects, which currently include a reforestation project, an educational initiative, and a permaculture organic garden.

3)    To employ local residents at a fair wage and offer resources and volunteer opportunities to foreigners who are interested in helping to improve the lives of the Guatemalan people.

The School

Flor Del Maiz provides a comfortable, distraction-free learning environment.  All of our classes are one-on-one and take place in various sheltered locations throughout our extensive garden. Although Flor De Maiz is centrally located (5-10 minute walk from most hotels), it’s just far enough from the ‘tourist area’ to allow you to experience local culture and practice your Spanish with full immersion.
During class we offer complimentary snacks (usually bread or fruit), tea and fresh picked and brewed Guatemalan coffee straight from one of the instructors’ fields.
Study materials are provided and we are constantly updating and improving our curriculum.

Classes and Instructors
All of our instructors are all local residents of Mayan Tz’utujil descent.  All of our instructors speak English well, which is not the case at most local Spanish schools.  This is most important for beginners, as extensive explanation is often required.
All classes are taught one-on-one so that our instructors can give students their full attention and tailor their classes to each student’s individual needs.

Homestays with local families are also offered.  We highly recommend that our students spend some of their time living with a local Mayan Tz’utujil family, not only because immersion is the fastest and most effective way to learn Spanish, but also because it allows students to learn about local Mayan culture, it’s very affordable (much cheaper than living in a hotel and eating in restaurants), and helps to supplement the incomes of the local families, many of whom live on less than $2USD per day per person.

“Studying at Flor Del Maiz was a very rewarding experience. i would recommend it to anybody!”
Matt Gibson, student in 2009

Click on the picture below to view a gallery of our garden and school.