Indigenous History in Central America
Middle School
By Pablo DePaz
In this unit developed as part of the UCI 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.
Learn more from the creator of the lesson, middle school teacher Pablo DePaz, in the video below.
Pablo DePaz (He/ Him) As an immigrant from Guatemala, I feel it is essential to keep our histories and cultures alive by teaching them to the next generations as a way to honor our ancestors, instill pride and joy in our students, and grow critical consciousness and activism to fight any injustices that they encounter in their lives.