The Mayan people and their languages have survived for more than 5000 years, despite brutal Spanish conquest and civil war. Guatemala where the majority of the population is indigenous, has 22 main Mayan languages, and it is spoken by over six million people in Central America. Today’s Mayans fight for the right to have education and government services in their own language. We meet the principal of a Mayan alternative school, visit CODISRA, the commission against discrimination and racism, and learn about the Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages. A youth conference focusses on Mayan identity, language, and culture. “Language is the heart of our culture and the backbone or our identity’’ says a Kaqchikel speaker.