Limitless Horizons Ixil

Home
United States
Santa Cruz, CA
Limitless Horizons Ixil

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Limitless Horizons Ixil, Nonprofit Organization, PO Box 3120, Santa Cruz, CA.

Creating opportunities for the indigenous youth, women, and families of Chajul, Guatemala, to develop the academic and professional skills needed to effect change in their lives and community. Our vision is that Guatemala's Ixil region will be a thriving community with gender equality and widely available educational and employment opportunities, while maintaining its Maya cultural identity.

08/18/2026

The Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala (Fundación de Antropología Forense de Guatemala - FAFG) recently visited Colegio Horizontes!

The Foundation's visit was the culmination of an initiative led by social studies teacher, Lina, who is deeply committed to connecting our students' classroom learning to the lived history of their own community.

Chajul and the wider Ixil region were among the areas hit hardest during Guatemala's internal armed conflict, when thousands of Indigenous Maya Ixil people were killed or displaced in the early 1980s. Many families are still searching for answers about loved ones who disappeared during that time. For over 25 years, FAFG has done the painstaking work of recovering, identifying, and returning the remains of the disappeared to their families, bringing long-awaited answers and a measure of healing to communities across Guatemala, including Chajul.

During their visit, representatives from the Forensic Anthropology Foundation worked alongside Colegio Horizontes students: high school seniors helped translate from Ixil as FAFG collected saliva samples and recorded life story interviews with family members of students and staff. A workshop with students on the meaning of dignified burial for victims and their families deepened their understanding of the process even further.

This visit was a chance for our students to put into practice what they've learned about Chajul and Guatemala's recent past, while witnessing firsthand how that history continues to shape their own families and community today.

08/12/2026

Happy from the Limitless Horizons Ixil Community Library!

At Chajul’s first and only library, Maya Ixil youth are building math skills through hands-on learning, problem-solving, and curiosity. By asking questions, testing ideas, and working together, students are discovering that they can tackle challenges they once found difficult.

This International Youth Day, we’re celebrating the universality of young people’s curiosity, potential, and aspirations. No matter where they are from, children deserve access to opportunities that help them learn, develop their strengths, and gain the confidence to pursue their goals. At our Community Library, that starts with creating a space where Maya Ixil youth can learn, explore, and discover what they’re capable of.

08/11/2026

From a third-place finish at Guatemala's national celebration of Indigenous culture and leadership (Rabin Ajaw) to representing Indigenous women across Quiché, Karelyn has been named Ixkik Uk’u’x!

This Sunday, on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Colegio Horizontes senior Karelyn was selected from 15 contestants to win the title of Ixkik Uk’u’x. This title recognizes a young Indigenous woman as a cultural representative for the department of Quiché, home to more than 1 million people and dozens of Indigenous communities, including Chajul. For the next year, Karelyn will act as a representative of Indigenous women throughout the department.

The win comes just days after Karelyn was named second runner-up at Rabin Ajaw, placing third among 142 Indigenous young women from across Guatemala. At Ixkik Uk’u’x, she again used her voice to speak about something deeply personal: the Maya traditions and ancestral knowledge that shape her identity and community.

In her speech, Karelyn referenced the incense and candles of the local ceremonial centers of Juil and Paxil and urged young people to help preserve Indigenous customs: "Our customs and traditions are the living memory of our peoples and the heritage of our grandparents. As Indigenous young people, I invite you to preserve and practice our cultural identity. We are all called to be guardians and transmitters of these ancestral values and knowledge."

That commitment to cultural heritage is woven into life at Colegio Horizontes. Ixil language and Maya Ixil culture are important parts of students’ educational experience, alongside the academic, leadership, and career preparation they receive.

Karelyn’s journey shows what can happen when young people are given both the opportunity to honor where they come from and the confidence to carry their culture forward. In honor of , we are especially proud to celebrate Karelyn's accomplishment and how she is using her voice to both honor the past and help shape the future of Indigenous leadership.

08/04/2026

Our Abriendo Horizontes (Expanding Horizons) middle school prep program has officially begun!

Through December, these students will complete more than 140 hours of classes designed to strengthen their academic skills, build confidence, and prepare them for the transition to middle school.

We're excited to welcome this motivated group of students and can't wait to watch them grow in the months ahead. 🌱📚

07/30/2026

More than 20 years ago, Limitless Horizons Ixil was founded with a bold vision: to empower a new generation of educated professionals equipped to create lasting change in Chajul. For more than two decades, your generosity has propelled that vision forward.

This November, the very first class of Colegio Horizontes High Schoolers will receive their high school diplomas—and we would love for you to join in the celebration!

The Colegio Horizontes high school graduation will be the centerpiece of our upcoming November 2–10 trip to Guatemala, during which you’ll connect with students and families, experience local traditions, and celebrate alongside our entire community.

📅 Tomorrow, July 31, is the final day to register.

Trip highlights include:
✨ Meeting our inspiring female leadership team
🏫 Spending time with Colegio Horizontes students and families
📚 Volunteering with community library members
🧵 Learning the art of traditional Maya backstrap loom weaving
🫓 Making tortillas and traditional "boxbol" with local families
🌋 Experiencing the beauty of Lake Atitlán

This isn't just a graduation—it's the celebration of a dream that so many of you have helped make possible. We can't think of a more meaningful opportunity to witness the impact of your generosity and celebrate the beginning of a new generation of Maya Ixil professionals, leaders, and changemakers.

Join us for this historic moment. Learn more and register today at: https://limitlesshorizonsixil.org/visit-guatemala/

07/27/2026

We are thrilled to celebrate Colegio Horizontes high school senior Karelyn, who returned last night from representing her hometown of Chajul at Guatemala's 58th annual "Rabin Ajaw" festival in Cobán, Alta Verapaz.

As the current Me'al Tenam ("Daughter of the Community") of Chajul, Karelyn was chosen to represent her municipality at this national cultural festival, which brought together 142 Indigenous women, each representing a different municipality from across Guatemala.

Over the course of the four-day event, participants shared their knowledge of their Indigenous culture, traditions, language, history, and community. At the conclusion of the event, one participant is selected as Rabin Ajaw ("Daughter of the King"), who serves for one year as a national ambassador for Indigenous women and Maya culture in Guatemala.

This emphasis on cultural identity reflects a core value of Colegio Horizontes’ culturally specific education model, which recognizes that students are strongest when they can learn, lead, and build their futures while remaining deeply connected to their Maya Ixil identity, language, and traditions.

Karelyn’s achievement was extraordinary. She was named second runner-up, placing third overall among 142 participants from across Guatemala. She was also the only representative from the local state of Quiché—one of the top-represented states—to advance to both the semifinal and final rounds of the festival! Her accomplishment brought national recognition to Chajul and the broader Maya Ixil region.

In addition to a welcome held by the town of Chajul last night, we had the chance to celebrate Karelyn at school today, honoring and congratulating her as a school community. Congratulations Karelyn!

Photos: official event photos, live coverage screen captures, with additional photos from El viajero ixil

Muni Cobán

07/19/2026

Congratulations to Gilberto, a 9th grader at Colegio Horizontes, who just won a state-level art competition with a painting celebrating his Maya Ixil heritage! 💙🎨

This August, he’ll go on to submit his artwork at the national competition.

We’re so proud and can’t wait to cheer him on!

07/14/2026

This summer, we were delighted to welcome advisory board member Carlos Perez Brito, his wife Reiko, and their children Hana and Santi, to Colegio Horizontes! Originally from Nebaj and now living in Singapore, Carlos' visit was a wonderful way for the whole family to get involved with a cause close to home.

The family spent time with our leadership team and shared meaningful moments with students and staff throughout the week: Reiko led a Japanese writing activity with 10th graders, and Hana and Santi volunteered their time in the cafeteria, English classes, our school library, and the community library in town. They also shared their experiences growing up across five different countries with our 11th grade students, inspiring conversations about culture, identity, and global perspectives.

Thank you, Carlos, Reiko, Hana, and Santi, for your generosity, curiosity, and commitment to our work and the youth of Chajul. Volunteer time and energy are a reminder that education is built not only through classrooms and curriculum, but through relationships, shared experiences, and a community invested in young people’s futures.

07/09/2026

We're excited to announce that Colegio Horizontes has officially joined a state-wide School Science Club Network! 🔬✨

20 Colegio Horizontes students across middle and high school applied and were selected to become the founding members of our new Science Club. Yesterday, they traveled to the state capital for the program's official inauguration, which was also attended by Guatemala's vice president!

Through hands-on experiments, collaborative projects, and immersive learning experiences, our science club will join forces with other clubs from across the state of Quiche to dive deeper into biology, mathematics, environmental science, and technology while strengthening the curiosity and critical thinking skills.

In Chajul, where opportunities to engage with STEM are limited, experiences like these can spark new dreams and open doors to futures in science, engineering, healthcare, and beyond. We can't wait to see and share more about where the Colegio Horizontes science club leads. Stay tuned!

Vicepresidencia de Guatemala Senacyt/concyt Colegio Javier Quiché

06/26/2026

✨ Hilce’s latest step toward her dream of becoming a chemical engineer!

Just last week, Hilce participated in a 5-day “Women in Engineering” immersion course at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala in Guatemala City — an opportunity she earned after applying with encouragement from her Colegio Horizontes Career Pathways Specialist, Keily.

Out of 135 applicants from across Guatemala, Hilce was selected to join this program exploring engineering through experiments, challenges, and hands-on learning alongside women leaders in STEM, including a Guatemalan engineer now working at MIT!

For Hilce, this was more than a week-long course — it was a chance to see herself in a space where women are innovating, leading, and shaping the future and is the latest step in her journey toward a career in chemical engineering, a dream that formed years ago behind a microscope at the Limitless Horizons Ixil Community Library and has grown through the mentorship, education, and opportunities she has received at Colegio Horizontes.

“Becoming a chemical engineer will be a great example to people in my community that women can do anything they set their minds to.”

Please join us today to take part in the real change taking root in Chajul in tangible and deeply human ways, one student, and one opportunity at a time and take advantage of our FINAL DAY of gift matching at: https://limitlesshorizonsixil.org/donate/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Address

PO Box 3120
Santa Cruz, CA
95063

Website

https://limitlesshorizonsixil.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Limitless Horizons Ixil posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Limitless Horizons Ixil:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Santa Cruz?