I share the real stories of my life here and of the Mayan people every day, con mis ojos, mi corazon, y mi mente.
~ words from Francisco that keep us thinking and wondering ~
Not theirs. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
Notice what you notice. Wonder what you wonder. There is no quiz, no right way. Read until something stays.
this film has no words. notice what you notice. notice what you wonder. wonder out loud. and don't forget to notice what you feel, too.
Welcome To Santiago
Welcome! Or as we say in Tzu'tujil, the native language I speak, utzalajik'ulik! Please, come on in and join us for breakfast. My wife, Francisca and mi hermana, Juana are inside getting the food ready. Do you like tortillas and beans? I hope so, because my wife makes the best tortillas in all of Santiago. Handmade, every morning. I eat twelve of them at breakfast, twelve at lunch, and twelve at dinner!
It is typical for us to eat the same thing for breakfast every day - tortillas, beans, and coffee. We often will have a similar meal for lunch and dinner. What do you eat for breakfast? Is it the same each day?
Every morning, before the sun begins to make its way above the sleeping volcano, you can hear the roosters crow their dependable crow, every hour on the hour, letting the streets of Santiago know that another day has begun. Soon after, you will be sure to hear the sound of hands clapping together, as the women of Santiago gather around the planchas to make tortillas for the day's meals.
It is true that the roosters of Santiago crow every single hour on the hour. Somehow they are in tune with the passing of time. It's pretty incredible that we can tell time through animals and nature, isn't it? Are there any other ways that people use nature to tell time? How would you try to tell time if you could not use technology in any way?
I've always been curious how many roosters are crowing at what hour of the day. Using a table where x is the amount of roosters crowing and y is the time of day, can you help me create a graph on a coordinate plane to show this?
Between the rooster crows and clapping hands, you will also hear bits of laughter and chatter in Tzu'tujil, the native Mayan language of my people that is spoken here in my beloved town, Santiago Atitlan. We have been given another day, the sun is shining and the air is fresh! And it is with this new day that I say gracias a Dios!
Are you familiar with the Mayan people? We are one of the oldest and largest populations of ancient indigenous people, and we still live today in various countries throughout Central America. My town, Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala has one of the largest populations of indigenous people in all of Central America. It makes for a very unique and special place.
I live with my family in my little blue house, just a few blocks from the town market, where the people of Santiago gather each day to sell the fruits, vegetables, and fish which they have grown and caught. I live with mi esposa, my two sisters, and our four sobrinos. We do not have any children of our own; raising children requires quite a bit of money - and we do not have a lot of money. But that is okay, because we have each other. I am very grateful for my wife - and even more grateful for her cooking!
I feel lucky these days that I can eat a good, nourishing meal every day, and my favorite of them all is a dish called patin. Patin is a typical Mayan meal that originated many, many years ago - right here in Santiago! It is only found homemade in the towns here around the lake, and mi esposa makes it the best. Patin is a delicious, thick tomato-based stew that is made with dried small fish from the lake and many spices. It is cooked for several hours then wrapped up in a large raw plantain leaf. Because of the ingredients and leaves, patin keeps very well without refrigeration and is easy for travel.
The dish itself came to be through the Mayan farmers, my ancestors, who journeyed up these very mountains to tend to their crops there and needed nourishing food that they could bring with them. Since their land was usually far from home, often times the farmers would leave very early in the morning and stay for days at a time. The Mayan women created patin, as they could prepare it ahead of time and package it in the leaves, sending the men of the family on their way with nourishment for the days to come. In Santiago we are proud to say that it was the first form of take away or to go food - invented by the Mayan people!
Patin is not a dish that is made all the time anymore, these days it is typically saved for special occasions. Which makes it even more delicious! The leaf we use is a large rectangular plantain leaf. Create a coordinate plane grid, then plot the following four coordinates on the graph to form the shape of a typical plantain leaf that mi esposa might use for patin: (4, 2) (4, 9) (9, 2) (9, 9).
A lesson woven around Francisco. Begin with the opening question, then walk the story together.
Before students read, ask: What sounds do you hear in the morning where you live? What tells you a new day has started? Let students share. Tell them they are about to visit a morning in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, where roosters mark every hour and tortillas are made by hand before sunrise every single day.
Telling Time Without Technology Watch / Read: Re-read the section about the roosters crowing every hour on the hour. Try: Francisco says it is incredible that we can tell time through animals and nature. Brainstorm at least five ways people have told time throughout history without clocks or phones.
Draw one of them and explain how it works. Activity 2: Patin and Where Food Comes From Watch / Read: Re-read the section about patin and how it was created by Mayan women. Try: Patin was invented to solve a real problem: farmers needed nourishing food that traveled well without refrigeration. Think of a food from your own culture or family that was created to solve a problem or meet a need. Write three to five sentences about it. If you don't know one, invent one.
Francisco's wife uses a large rectangular plantain leaf for patin. Plot these four coordinates on a coordinate plane to form its shape: (4,2) (4,9) (9,2) (9,9). What shape do the points form? What is the area of the rectangle? What is the perimeter?
Literacy beat: Francisco opens with a word in Tzu'tujil, the native Mayan language of Santiago. He moves between Spanish and English throughout. Find every moment in the story where he uses a word from another language. What does each word mean? Why do you think he includes them? What does it tell you about how he sees the people reading his story?
Francisco says he is very grateful for his wife, and even more grateful for her cooking. Think about something in your daily life that you might take for granted. What would it feel like if it were not there? Materials: Graph paper or printed coordinate plane for plotting activity. Pencils.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Guia
Buenos dias! Another beautiful day here in Santiago, isn't it? We are very lucky. Follow me, I'm heading down to la muelle to greet the first boat of tourists for the day. Most of the tourists typically come over to Santiago from the town of Panajachel, which is the first town on Lake Atitlan. It's about a twenty-minute ride from dock to dock. Hopefully it is going to be a busy day today, but you never know.
I like to get down to la muelle early, far before the other guides arrive in the morning. That way I can be first to greet the tourists. I try my best to give as many tours as I can each day, but it can be tough at times. There are many new guides around looking for work these days, but a lot of them are much younger than I am. They do not have all of the stories and experiences like I do - fifty-two years worth!
The tourism industry is necessary in keeping our economy alive here in Santiago. I say every day, gracias a dios para las turistas! It is because of the tourists that I am able to feed my family and maintain my campo. Without them coming to Santiago, life would be much harder, and for that reason I am very grateful for them.
Here is a drawing of my route that I take around Santiago on a typical day. Based on the points where I stop, could you tell me what type of quadrilateral my route forms?
Some people say that the tourism industry is bad for our lake and our environment. I'm not sure I agree with them, because it's been beneficial for my family and I. What do you think? What are some of the negative effects that tourism might have on our environment or community? What about some of the positives?
I love my work and am very proud that I am able to be a tour guide, even though I wasn't ever able to attend school. It brings me great joy to be able to share the stories of my people with others; and to be able to provide for my family while doing so. There are many tour guides in Santiago, but none like me! I share the real stories of my life here and of the Mayan people every day - con mis ojos, mi corazon, y mi mente!
My work as a tour guide is not consistent, which can be challenging. But it typically gets busier in the high season, which starts in November. Here is an example of potential number of tours per month that I might give. Based on this number pattern, how many tours could I expect to do in October?
Through my work as a guide, I am able to preserve the traditions and history of my culture. Similarly, many people in my town preserve the traditions of our culture through the art that they make. By creating art in the same way as our ancestors did, they are keeping our traditions and culture alive. I do so by telling stories through my spoken word.
Think about the ways that people of your culture share their stories. What does it mean to be a storyteller? Who are the storytellers? What are the different types of storytelling that they use? What are the benefits? Are there any detriments? Can anyone be a storyteller? How can you be a storyteller?
The stories that I share are of the Tzu'tujil people, my people. We are an indigenous Mayan community that live in the small lakeside town of Santiago Atitlan, in the highlands of Guatemala. Many tourists come to visit our town, because out of all the places around the lake, Santiago is still very much devoted to the traditional Mayan way of life. The men and women of Santiago wear the traditional colorful Mayan clothing, or traje, as we call it.
Aside from our traditional dress, Santiago is a deeply religious town. You will find many churches and religious spaces here in Santiago, most of them Catholic or Evangelical. I wake up at five in the morning to go to church four times a week, every Saturday and Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. I go to the Catholic church while my wife, Francisca, goes to the Evangelical church. Although we have different religious views, it is not something that we have let get between us. There are many differences, but also many similarities in our churches. And she is very respectful of my beliefs, just as I am of hers.
I am lucky that my wife and I are able to see past our differences in religion. What are some challenges that families or friends who have differing religious views might face? Do you share the same religious beliefs as your family and friends?
If one third of the population of Santiago go to Catholic church, one quarter go to Evangelical church, and one fifth go to other religion churches, can you help me find out the total amount of people that go to church as a fraction?
A lesson woven around Francisco. Begin with the opening question, then walk the story together.
Before students read, ask: Have you ever visited somewhere and had a local person show you around? Or has a visitor ever come to your neighborhood and you showed them something you were proud of? What did it feel like to share your place with someone from somewhere else?
Tell students they are about to follow a man who has spent fifty-two years learning the stories of his town, and whose whole living depends on sharing them.
The Cost and Benefit of Tourism Watch / Read: Re-read the section where Francisco talks about tourism being both necessary and potentially harmful. Try: Make a two-column chart: benefits of tourism in Santiago and potential harms. Use evidence from the story for at least one item in each column.
Then write one sentence saying where you stand and why. Activity 2: Storytelling Then and Now Watch / Read: Re-read the section about storytelling and how Francisco preserves culture through spoken word. Try: Francisco says he shares the real stories of his life with his eyes, his heart, and his mind. Think about a story from your own family, neighborhood, or culture. How is it passed down? Who tells it? Write it out the way you would tell it to someone who had never heard it.
If one third of the population of Santiago goes to the Catholic church, one quarter goes to the Evangelical church, and one fifth goes to other churches, what fraction of the population goes to church altogether? Add the three fractions and simplify if possible.
What fraction of the population does not go to any of these churches? Literacy beat: Francisco says there are many tour guides in Santiago, but none like me. He never went to school, but he has fifty-two years of stories. What does he mean? Write a paragraph about what kind of knowledge cannot be learned in a classroom. Use at least one specific detail from the story.
Francisco and his wife Francisca go to different churches. He says it is not something they have let get between them. Think about a difference between you and someone you are close to. How do you navigate it? What makes it possible to stay connected across a difference?
Materials: Paper for two-column chart. Graph paper optional for the route quadrilateral activity.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →The Lake
Ever since I was a young boy, fishing and farming have been a very big part of my life. Since as far back as I can remember, my brothers and I would rise early in the morning, well before the sun, and head down to the lake with my father. We would strap on our weatherproof boots, gather our supplies - a tin of live gusanos and our wooden paddles - and head out on our cayuco. We would spend the mornings venturing far enough away from the shore, where the water was just deep enough that the most amount of fish were likely to be swimming beneath us.
Are you familiar with a cayuco? It is a large dugout wooden canoe, carved from the wood of an avocado tree. They are traditional here in Santiago, and it is what my family and I have always used to go fishing on the lake. How do you think it would feel to travel to work on a boat? What are some of the challenges you think I might face? How could the weather impact my commute?
If it takes about four avocado trees to make 16 cayuco boats, what would this be as a fraction?
The lake and its water makes up a very big part of our day-to-day lives here. It is very important to my people in many ways. The people of Santiago use the water to wash our clothes in, bathe in, swim in, and eat from. Although many of our practices with the lake have remained the same, there have been many changes in the lake over the years. One of the biggest issues is the decrease in our fish population and pollution of the lake water.
There are far less fish in the lake now than there were when I was younger, and so many people who live along the lake have set up small tilapia farms. They do this because they need to feed themselves, but what they do not realize is the tilapia farms are very harmful to the lake. What is the difference between wild caught and farmed fish? Why do you think these tilapia might be harmful to our lake? If my people are hungry and need to eat fish, what are they to do?
A tilapia farmer decides to sell three quarters of his fish to 5 different vendors at the market. What fraction of his tilapia will each vendor get?
It is very hard to make a decent living as a fisherman. The amount of fish is even less these days, which makes it harder, but when I was growing up it was still hard. Your success is very dependent on the season of the year and weather of the day. If it is too windy, the fish do not come up. If it is too cold, the fish do not come up. Even the moon has an impact on the fish. A full moon, la luna llena, is the best time to go fishing and when you get the best luck - but only when the season and the weather are just right.
Even though we live on a lake, the waters here can get very choppy and dangerous. The high winds of the winter months can make the lake unnavigable for a lot of fishermen. It is simply too dangerous for us to go out in our cayuco. How does the weather impact your day to day life? Are you still able to go to school or work when the weather is bad?
In the 1950s, the black bass, a non-native species of fish, was introduced to the lake. It has since contributed to the extinction of two thirds of the native fish species in the lake. Since the native fish species are more rare to catch, when I catch them I like to divide them up. If I brought home two native fish, and split them into one sixth pieces, how many pieces of native fish will I have?
The hours as a pescador are very early and the work is very hard. When I was younger, we would leave at 1 o'clock in the morning and return at 6 o'clock in the morning. After we'd return, we would head out to the farm, or campo, to check on our coffee plants. Working on the campo has always been much more enjoyable for me, and this is what I like to do most now.
I feel very grateful for my campo, which is a small plot of land directly across the lake. It takes me about a little over an hour to get to my campo - about 45 minutes to get across the lake on my cayuco, then a fifteen minute trek up through the jungle. I go there a few times a week to check on my coffee plants. It is one of my favorite things to do - aside from eating my wife's patin, of course!
A lesson woven around Francisco. Begin with the opening question, then walk the story together.
Before students read, ask: What do you know about where your food comes from? Have you ever caught, grown, or made something you then ate? How did that feel? Tell students they are about to spend a morning on the water with Francisco, who has been fishing Lake Atitlan since he was a small boy, and who is watching that lake change in ways that worry him.
The Lake Is Changing Watch / Read: Re-read the sections about the fish population and the tilapia farms. Try: Francisco describes a real problem: people are hungry and need fish, but the tilapia farms that feed them are harming the lake.
There is no easy answer. Write a short paragraph describing the problem in your own words, then write one sentence saying what you think could help, even partially. Activity 2: A Day on the Water Watch / Read: Re-read the section describing the early morning fishing trips Francisco took with his father and brothers. Try: Francisco leaves for work at 1 in the morning and returns at 6 in the morning, then heads to his campo. Draw a simple timeline of his day from midnight to noon. How many hours did he spend fishing? How does his day compare to yours?
In the 1950s, black bass were introduced to Lake Atitlan. They contributed to the extinction of two thirds of the native fish species. If there were originally 18 native species in the lake, how many were lost? How many remain?
Francisco brings home two native fish and splits them into one sixth pieces. How many pieces does he have in total? Literacy beat: Francisco describes the lake as a place where his people wash clothes, bathe, swim, and eat from - but also as a place that is changing and being harmed. Find two sentences in the story that show his love for the lake and two that show his worry about it. What does it feel like to love something and also watch it suffer? Write three sentences from Francisco's point of view.
Francisco travels 45 minutes by cayuco across the lake and then 15 minutes through the jungle to reach his campo. He does this several times a week just to check on his coffee plants. Think about something you take care of that requires real effort.
What makes it worth the trip? Materials: Paper for timeline activity. Pencils.
This is one way to teach this story. You could also weave your own way, threading two or three other people the AI finds for you alongside.
Want to weave a full lesson around this story?
The weaver finds 3-4 real people whose stories thread together with this one.
Weave a lesson →Not theirs. Not yours. People are always more than the chapters anyone could share. Hold what is here gently. Approach with curiosity, before judgment.
If a moment stayed, follow it. If a question rose up, hold it. The quiet teaching is still teaching.
Three or four real stories woven into one lesson, your topic, your time. Francisco is one. The weaver finds the others, threads the math, the literacy, the values, the reflection.
Open the weaver →