Colegio Maya

Colegio Maya is the newest addition to the Hoops Sagrado fleet of camps.

Situated comfortably between Chirijquiac and Pachaj, the school has an abundance of mountainous skylines, rich culture and, of course, kids nipping at the bit to emerge victorious in their freshman appearance at the tournament. 

As we learned previously, Chirijquiac means behind the mountain or after the flea. Colegio Maya is in Choquiac, which means the front of the mountain or in front of the flea in K'iche!

There is a girl’s and a boy’s team, each with 10 players. Malaika and Demani run the girls squad. Zion, Christian, and William lead the boys.

Upon arrival, there was a tremendous turnout of students wanting to play on the teams; over 20 boys and nearly 20 girls showed up.

All five “Hoops Sagradians” will agree that cutting the teams down to 10 was the most difficult task as coaches of these young, soon-to-be star athletes.

However, in proper Colegio Maya form, those who did not make the cut took it in stride and still come to the practices to say “buenas tardes” and “hasta luego” from time to time.

Arguably the most special moment thus far was the 37th anniversary of Colegio Maya. The

celebrations began with a walk through the village, parade-style.

The parade took a pitstop at the home of one of the students, where the celebrations continued with food, drinks (a tasty corn and coconut concoction), and a traditional dance performance from six local students.

It was there that they officially welcomed Hoops Sagrado to their school, over an amplified microphone, in the presence of the entire community. The energy was palpable.

This may be the first year we've had a presence at the school, but Malaika, Demani, Zion, Christian, and William will make sure the Hoops Sagrado name rings loudly amongst all of the camps for years to come.

(A special thank you to William Jordan, an adult volunteer on our trip for writing this piece, especially since he was sick!)