http://www.txinfinet.com/mader/ecotravel/schools/schoolist.html (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
This is a growing list of the schools where you can learn or improve your Spanish in a Latin American country. (Sorry, I don't include info on U.S. programs.) If you have additions or corrections, please let me know! Besides this electronic version, I publish this directory every summer in the quarterly newsletter, El Planeta Platica: Eco Travels in Latin America (contact me for subscription or advertising info). Web site: http://www.planeta.com
This directory can be freely distributed for non-commercial distribution. It is regularly updated. Go ahead and copy this list for yourself or others who are planning on learning Spanish abroad.
Many thanks to Phil Crossley, Carla Felsted and to Bill Fitzgerald who shared their experiences and to all of the correspondents who asked me to list "their" favorite school.
Please note: I have visited only a fraction of these schools. The list has been collected from personal travel as well as recommendations from total strangers. If a school is no longer in business, let me know. This index is updated regularly, but I can't guarantee that all the information is 100 percent correct.
The best advice I can give you is to make sure that you're comfortable with the arrangements before you invest in a long-term study program. Request materials, solicit first-hand advice and when possible check out a couple of schools, especially if you're in a hotbed of language school activity such as Quito, Antigua, Cuernavaca or San José. Happy travels!
Ron Mader
12345 SW 18th Street #417
Miami, FL 33175
Email: ron@txinfinet.com
Andean Center for Latin American Studies (ACLAS)
P.O. Box 17-11-6203
Quito-Ecuador
Fax: 593-2-258-441
Contact: Fernando Mino-Garces
Email: fmino@aclas.ecx.ec
Escuela de Espanol "Simon Bolivar"
Calle Andalucia # 565 y Gnral. F. Salazar
La Floresta
Quito, Ecuador
Phone: 593-2-502640
Fax: 593-2-502640
Email: khaugan@aol.com
Academia Costarricense de Lenguaje
Location: Calle 37, Avenida 1 & 5
Mailing Address: Apartado 1489-1000
Sabanilla
San José, Costa Rica
Phone: 25 9433
Fax: 24 1480
Institute for Central American Development Studies (ICADS)
Apartado 3-2070
Sabanilla
San José, Costa Rica
Phone: 25-0508
Fax: 34-1337
Web: http://www.westnet.com/costarica/icads.html
U.S. Address: Dept. 826
Box 05216
Miami, FL 33102
Instituto Profesional de Espanol para Extanjeros
Apartado 2355-1000
San José, Costa Rica
Phone: 506 253-8693
Fax: 506 225-6870
U.S. Address: Robert Levy, Director
16057 Tampa Palms Blvd., Suite 158
Tampa, FL 33647
Phone/Fax: 813 988-3916
Email: IPEE@gate.net
Web: http://www.gate.net/~ipee/
Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI)
P.O. Box 151-3007
San Joaquin De Flores, Heredia
Costa Rica
Phone: (506) 265-6866
Fax (506) 265-6213
Web: http//:www.westnet.com/costarica/cpi.html
Email: anajarro@sol.racsa.co.cr
U.S. Contact: Robert Zauner
Phone: (703) 426-0649
Email: rzauner@erols.com
Universidad Veritas
Instituto de Español para Extranjeros
Apdo. 1380-1000
San José, Costa Rica
Phone: (506) 225-5878
Fax: (506) 225-2907
Email: Veritas@sol.racsa.co.cr
Centro Linguistico Conversa
Apdo. 17
Centro Colon 1007
San José, Costa Rica
Phone 282-6922
FAX 233-2418
Forester Instituto Internacional
P.O. Box 6945
1000 San José, Costa Rica
Phone: (506) 225-3155, 225-0135 and 225-1649
Fax: (506)225-9236
Web: http://www.cool.co.cr/usr/forester/welcome.html/
Ad Astra Languages Institute
P.O Box 752-2100 Guadalupe
San José, Costa Rica
Phone/fax: (506) 236-7401
Email: adastra@sol.racsa.co.cr
Web: http://www.westnet.com/costarica/adastra/adastra.html/
The Spanish Academy "XINABAJUL"
6a Ave. 0-69
Zona 1
Huehuetenango
Phone/Fax: 064-1518
Contact: Maria Eugenia Dominguez
Proyecto Linguistico Francisco Marroquin
Apartado Postal 237
4a. Avenida Sur #4
Antigua, Sacatepequez
Chatwaligoq Language School
5a Calle 17-32, Zona 3
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone: (502)-9-612980
U.S. address: Box 31783
Tucson, AZ 85751
Phone:602-795-6534
Escuela Juan Sisay
Diagonal 13 15-57, Zona 1
or
15 Avenida 8-38, Zona 1
Quetzaltenango,
Guatemala, C.A.
Phone: (502) 9-616344
Fax: (502) 9-632198
U.S. Contact: Jean Dodge
3465 Cedar Valley Ct.
Smyrma, GA 30080
Phone: 404-436-6283
Web Site: http://www.redshift.com/~pediger1/js/js.html
Email: pediger@redshift.com
- Family stay, 5 hours of instruction $100 per week
Guatemala Unlimited
- runs Centro Linguistico Maya (CLM)
U.S. address: P. O. Box 786
Berkeley, CA 94701
Phone: 415-661-5364
Email: 733-8621@MCImail.com
Proyecto Linguistico Santa Maria (PLSM)
14 Av. "A" 1-26
Apdo. 230
Zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone: 011-502-961-8608 or 011-502-961-2570
Fax: 011-52-961-8281
U.S. Contact: Ted Keller
Phone: 217-857-3542
La Hermandad Educativa is comprised of the following three
Proyecto Linguisticos with North American Contacts:Lea McDermid
915 Cole Street, Suite 363
San Francisco, CA 94117
Edward Schmitt
1106 2060 Bellwood Ave.
Burnaby British Columbia
Canada V5B 4P2
Email: edschmit@unix.infoserve.net
Proyecto Linguistico Quezalteco de Espanol
Apdo. Postal 114
(street address 5a Calle 2-40, Zona 1)
Quezaltengo, Guatemala, CA
Tel/Fax: 011 502 963 1060
- Also offers courses in Quiche.
Proyecto Linguistico de Espanol Education Para Todos
Apdo. Postal 379
(Street address 6a Calle 7-42, Zona 1)
Quetzaltenangom Guatemala, CA
Tel/Fax: 011-502-963-0717
- These schools offer topics on national elections, natural healing and development.
No registration fee. Classes cost $150.00USD per week during Hhigh season (June - August) . Low season
and $120.00 USD (September - May), including 5 hours of one on one instruction and room
and board.
Proyecto Linguistico de Espanol/Mam Todos Santos
Todos Santos C.
Huehuetenango, Guatemala C.A.
Telephone: 011-502-963-1061
- Classes cost $100 year round, including 5 hours of one on one instruction and room
and board.
Nahual Academia de Lenguaje
Phone/Fax: (011) (502) (9) 322 713
6a. Avenida Norte No. 9
Antigua, Guatemala, 03-001
- 4 hours of class per day, one-on-one with an instructor costs $60 per week, and
housing with a family costs $40 per week, with 3 meals per day included (except
Sunday)
Spanish School San Jose el Viejo
5a. Avenida Sur 34
Antigua, Guatemala
Phone: 502 9 323028
Fax: 502 9 323029
(After 5.4.96; Tel.: +(502) 832-3028 Fax: + (502) 832-3029)
Email: spanish@guate.net
Centro de Estudios de Espanol "Pop Wuj"
Apdo. Postal 68
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone/Fax: 502-9-61-82-86
U.S. contact: Peggy Rossi or Jon Averill
P.O Box 158, Sandstone, West Virginia, 25985-0158
Phone/Fax: (304)466-2685
Email: PopWuj@aol.com
Centro de Lenguas y Aprendizaje Practico
P.O. Box 2972
Tegucigalpa, D.C., Honduras
Central America
Phone: 37-3250
Fax: 32-7493
Honduran Institute of Interamerican Culture
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Phone: 37-7539
Ixbalanque
Copan Ruinas
Contact: Darla Brown de Hernandez
Phone: (011-504) 57-6215
Fax: (011-504) 57-6215
Fax: (011-504) 98-0004
- Associated with the local Go Native Tours
Centro Internacional de Idiomas
P.O. Box 71
Trujillo, Colon, Honduras
Contact: Belinda Linton
Fax: 44-4777
Conversa Language School
Colonia Palmira, Calle Brazil #2419
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Telephone 36-5170 or 36-7420
Copan Escuela de Espanol
Copan Ruins, Honduras
Contact: Fernando Gamboa
Fax 98-0004
Escuela Espanol Horizonte
Casa de las Mujeres Desempleadas
Apartado 72
Esteli, Nicaragua
Tel/Fax: +505 71 32240
Instituto Cultural Oaxaca
Apartado Postal 340
68000 Oaxaca
Phone: 011-52-951-5-34-04
Fax: 011-52-951-5-37-28
Experiencia-Centro de Intercambio Bilingue y Cultural
Apdo. Postal C-96
Cuernavaca, Morelos
Phone: (73) 18-52-92
Centro de Artes y Lenguas (CALE)
P.O. Box 1777
062000 Cuernavaca, Morelos
Phone: (011) (73) 13-06-03 or (73) 17-31-26
Fax: (011) (73) 13-73-52
Contact: Xavier Sotel
The Mexican Immersion Center
Language School
P.O. Box 4-193
Cuernavaca, Morelos
62431 Mexico
Phone: 57 (73) 22-10-83
Fax: 57 (73) 15-79-53
Contact: Dalel Cortes A.
Academia Hispano Americana
Mesones 4
37700 San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato
Phone: 011-51-415-2-03-49
Fax: 011-52-415-2-23-33
Foreign Language Study Abroad Service (FLSAS)
5935 SW 64th Avenue
South Miami, FL 33142-9972 USA
Phone: (305) 662-1090
Fax: (305) 662-2907
Interamerican University Studies Institute
P.O. Box 10958
Eugene, OR 97440
Phone: 800-345-IUSI
Phone: (541) 344-8940
Fax: (541) 686-5947
Email: iusi2oregon@efn.org
The Interamerican University Studies Institute is a non-profit Oregon organization dedicated to fostering cultural and educational exchange with Latin America. IUSI's home office is in Eugene.
All participants in IUSI programs must carry valid health insurance for the duration of the program. If you do not have health insurance IUSI can assist you with referral's.
To learn more about these and other IUSI programs or more about Mexico, or for links to other WEB sites about Mexico visit IUSI's WEB site at: http://www.efn.org/~iusi.
National Register Center for Studies Abroad
823 N. Second St.
Milwaukee WI 53203
Phone: 414-278-0631
- The catalog costs $5
AmeriSpan Unlimited
P.O. Box 40513
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: 215-985-4522
Email: info@amerispan.com and
amerispan@aol.com
AmeriSpan Unlimited offers classes at Spanish schools throughout Latin America. They also have a web site: http://www.amerispan.com.
Brad produces a monthly update on Honduras as well as an individually designed information package.
Transtions Abroad is a bimonthly magazine, providing "active travelers of all ages with practical, usable information on economical, purposeful international travel opportunities. Subscriptions cost $19.95 for six issues, $26 outside of the United States. The July/August issue, The Educational Travel Planner is available for $5 postpaid.
International Career Employment Opportunities is published bi-weekly. Subscriptions are $29 for two months, $229 for one year (hope you get a job as quickly as possible!). There are no fees to employers for listing job openings.
The SAEC has numerous resources for its members as well as the most dynamic magazine for the South American traveler. If you're heading south, please contact this group! Membership in the SAEC is one of the world's best bargains.
Happy travels!
1995-1996 Copyright: ron@txinfinet.com and RonMader@aol.com, expanded from
El Planeta Platica: Eco Travels in Latin America (http://www.planeta.com). Distribution welcome.
Suggestions and corrections encouraged! Web site sponsorship and advertising in the print version of Planeta are available.