Paris Trip Blog: The Codex Pérez and the UNESCO conference on language technologies

Authors

Gaspar Tomas

Abstract

Gaspar Tomas discusses his trip to Paris, where he attended the UNESCO conference on language technologies. Gaspar has long studied and lived within Maya cosmology; thus he also visited the Codex Pérez. Gaspar explains that technology can and must be employed in the preservation of Indigenous languages. In his own words: “Just as our ancestors once protected our languages, we must remember that ancestral knowledge is not lost; it simply waits to be reclaimed. The responsibility now lies with us to preserve, promote, and archive our voices to shape our future better.”

Publication Date

8-14-2025

Author Bio(s)

“Txajineq’teq’ hemasanil, jun skawil hek’ul, k’al hewatx’ jayub’al” Greetings and a warm welcome to all. My name is Gaspar Tomas. Maya Interpreter (Q’anjob’al and Akateko), Graphic Designer of Maya Iconography, and founder of Neo-Q’anjob’al (Maya youth group). I am a first-generation Maya American, born and raised in Laurens, South Carolina, with roots from Jolom Konob’ (Santa Eulalia) and Paiconop Grande (San Miguel Acatán) Huehuetenango, Guatemala. As a descendant and speaker of both linguistic groups, I’ve made it a personal goal to revive and replant our ancestral knowledge within the borders of the U.S. so that younger generations may be exposed to ancestral identity. I work with the Mayan Language Preservation and Digitization Project to preserve both ancient and modern knowledge for the grandsons and granddaughters of all Maya nations in this ever-changing world.

DOI

10.62915/2688-9188.1179

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