By: Vanessa Ramirez-Soto

Learning Quechua has been a journey that I never expected to take. Before this experience, I had honestly never heard much about Quechua. I knew that Indigenous languages existed, of course, but I did not know much about them or the communities that spoke them. It was not something I had ever really been exposed to.

My interest in Indigenous languages actually began in a more personal way. My partner speaks an Indigenous language, and because of that, I became interested in learning his language. I knew a few words and pieces here and there, but I wanted to understand more. Then, one day, I received an email about a Quechua class that was being offered. I remember thinking, Why not? I decided to give it a chance, not knowing that this one decision would introduce me to an entirely new world.

That class ended up being one of the most beautiful learning experiences I have ever had.

My professor, Yasmin Cedamanos, was an amazing teacher. She had been learning Quechua herself for some time, and she brought so much passion and care into teaching the beginner courses. I ended up taking two of her classes, and both were incredible experiences. What made them especially meaningful was that we did not only learn the language itself. We learned about the culture, history, and people connected to Quechua as well.

That distinction was important to me. Learning a language is about so much more than memorizing vocabulary or learning how to construct a sentence. A language carries the experiences, traditions, worldview, and history of the people who speak it. Through these classes, I began to understand Quechua not simply as a language I was studying, but as a part of a much larger cultural story.

Through the class, I also had the opportunity to apply for the FLAS scholarship to study abroad. The scholarship would allow me to spend about six weeks in Peru studying the language in a much deeper way. I was incredibly thankful when I found out that I had been accepted.

So, I went to Peru.

For six weeks, I was on my own, taking classes and immersing myself in an environment where I could interact with families and other people who spoke Quechua. More specifically, I was learning Quechua Chanka. Being there gave me an opportunity to experience the language in a way that a classroom simply could not provide.

One of the things that stood out to me the most was realizing just how many people still speak Quechua. Before this experience, I had never really understood the presence that the language continues to have. I was able to meet people, interact with families, and see firsthand that Quechua is still very much a living language.

At the same time, I also encountered something that was difficult for me to understand: shame.

There is still a lot of shame surrounding the speaking of Indigenous languages. Some people are embarrassed to speak their own language because of the discrimination and stigma that have been attached to Indigenous identity and language over generations. Seeing that firsthand really stayed with me.

I found myself thinking about how beautiful these languages are and how much they represent. A language is not something that should make someone feel ashamed. It is a connection to history, ancestry, culture, family, and identity. It carries pieces of people who came before us.

That is why it was difficult for me to understand why someone would feel embarrassed to speak a language that is such an important part of who they are. Instead of being something to hide, I believe these languages should be celebrated, protected, and passed down.

Although Quechua is not part of my own specific ancestry, I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to learn it. Sometimes, we encounter things that become meaningful to us even when they were not originally part of our own personal history. For me, learning Quechua opened the door to learning more about Indigenous languages and cultures in general. It gave me a new perspective and made me want to continue learning.

My journey with Indigenous languages is definitely not over. My partner’s Indigenous language is next on my list, and because I am Mexican, I would also love to learn another Indigenous language from Mexico, such as Nahuatl, or one of the many other Indigenous languages spoken throughout the country.

There are so many languages and cultures that I still know very little about, and that is part of what makes this journey so exciting. Every language is an opportunity to learn something new—not only about how people communicate, but about how they understand themselves, their communities, their history, and the world around them.

Ultimately, learning Quechua has been about much more than learning words. It has introduced me to a community, a culture, and a history that I might never have encountered otherwise. It has also made me think more deeply about what it means to preserve a language and what happens when people are made to feel ashamed of speaking their own.

I hope that this project can be shared with others and that, in some small way, it encourages more people to become interested in Indigenous languages. There is so much beauty in them, and there is so much still to learn.