Cusco is one of the most captivating cities in Latin America, with more than 1000 years of continuous history. The inhabitants of the city and the region are descended from the Quechua speaking groups that formed the core of the Inca Empire known in runasimi as Tawantinsuyu: the land of the 4 quarters.

Quechua is widely spoken in the South American highlands: there is an estimated 10 million Quechua speakers living mostly in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Although the various dialects are mutually understandable, the Cusco dialect is usually considered the most important both for the actual number of its speakers, as well as for its historical prevalence in pre-colonial and colonial times.

The Intensive Quechua Summer Course in Cusco is co-organized between U. Michigan and the Centro Tinku and students have the possibility of receiving U. Michigan credit.

If you chose to be housed in homestay, you will be staying in selected families, all of which have quechua-speaking members. This will give you the opportunity to speak and interact with Quechua speakers in a real-life setting.

Additionally, we are planning some travel to fiestas and traditional events where you will be able to test your linguistic skills.

Our intensive program consists of 3 levels (Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) taught 4 hours a day, five days a week, plus a daily 2-hour workshop every afternoon where you will be able to get language and grammar support.

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