Indigenous Languages Initiative
Professor Manuela Tahay teaches the K'iche' Maya language
About the Initiative
The Indigenous Languages Initiative (ILI), under the direction of Professor Karolin Obert, is focused on teaching, researching, promoting, and revitalizing Indigenous languages spoken in parts of Latin America. Classes are taught by experienced native speakers.
In the 2025–26 and 2026–27 academic years, we are offering in-person, for-credit courses in the K'iche' (Maya) language. Scroll down to ILI Language Offerings to view details.
ILI is committed to honoring the linguistic breadth of Latin America. While most people in the world speak one of a few major languages, the real linguistic treasure lies in the thousands of Indigenous languages that carry unique worldviews, histories, and ecological knowledge. Latin America alone hosts over 560 Indigenous languages—8% of the world’s linguistic diversity! Through its course offerings and community engagement, ILI supports the vitality of these languages and the communities that sustain them.
Why Learn an Indigenous Language?
- Connect with Living Cultures – Indigenous languages are vibrant, spoken today, and deeply tied to community identity
- Access Unique Worldviews – Many concepts in Indigenous languages have no direct English equivalent, offering new ways of thinking
- Serve Communities Better – Ideal for careers in healthcare, education, and social work; valuable for students in anthropology, linguistics, law, archaeology, and museum studies
- Understand the Land – Indigenous languages encode ecological knowledge vital for sustainability and environmental work
- Support Language Revitalization – Help preserve endangered languages and show solidarity with communities that speak them
Read about some of the educators and native speakers who have contributed to ILI's language offerings.
ILI Language Offerings
LLILAS offers in-person, for-credit instruction and a variety of free, self-study online materials for several Indigenous languages of Latin America. Learn more below.
For-Credit Classes
- K'iche' Maya
K'iche' Maya is spoken by over one million people in Guatemala. Native speaker and renowned K'iche' Maya educator Manuela Tahay Tzaj taught four levels of K'iche' Maya during the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 academic years. She also led several cultural workshops, including one with a focus on the art and craft of weaving, and another on Día de los Muertos rituals and practices.
Currently, ILI K'iche' classes are offered in the following progression:
- Year 1: Fall K'iche' I (4 hours) | LAL406K
- Year 1: Spring K'iche' II (4 hours) | LAL407K
- Year 2: Fall K'iche' III (3 hours) | LAL312M
- Year 2: Spring K'iche' IV (3 hours) | LAL312N
Fall 2026: K'iche' I is planned to be offered in hybrid modality via UT Extension. Watch this page for further updates. - Nahuatl
Nahuatl is spoken by over one million people, most of whom reside in Central Mexico. During the 2022–2023 academic year, Nahua scholar Eduardo de la Cruz Cruz taught two semesters of Nahuatl at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Quechua
With several distinct varieties, Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Andean region of South America. This curriculum teaches the Cusco Collao variant, spoken in Peru.
- Zapotec
Coming soon, an online course in Zapotec, which is a language family spoken in southern Mexico. If you would like to be notified when the course comes online, please contact Professor Karolin Obert.
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Self-Study Materials (Not for Credit)
- K'iche' Maya
K'iche' Maya is spoken by over one million people in Guatemala. View online K'iche' materials
- Nahuatl
Nahuatl is spoken by over one million people, most of whom reside in Central Mexico. During the 2022–2023 academic year, Nahua scholar Eduardo de la Cruz Cruz taught two semesters of Nahuatl at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Quechua
With several distinct varieties, Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Andean region of South America. This curriculum teaches the Cusco Collao variant, spoken in Peru.
- Zapotec (Isthmus Variety)
Coming soon: A beginner level self-study course in Isthmus Zapotec, a language spoken in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region of Oaxaca, Mexico. This course was developed by educator and activist Nelson Guerra. If you would like to be notified when the course comes online, please contact Professor Karolin Obert.
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