About Sheba (Juanita) Velasco
I am an Ixil interpreter and Mayan weaver from the highlands of Guatemala. I specialize in knowledge of contemporary Mayan culture and the Ixil language spoken in Santa Maria Nebaj, Guatemala.
In 2016, I was appointed the international ambassador for peace and tourism by the government of Guatemala.
Like many native Ixil speakers, I have both Mayan and Spanish first names - Sheba Velasco is my given Mayan name, while Juanita Velasco is my legal name.
I have worked in many museums, culture centers, schools, and universities in Central America, North America, and Europe. Most recently, I was employed for 11 years by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, in New York, NY and Washington, DC.
I moved to the United States in 1981, and am a United States citizen. I speak Ixil Maya, Spanish, and English fluently, and have knowledge of conversational Italian. I am a member of the ActiVoz Interpreting Group for indigenous languages.
I live in the Washington, DC area. For more information, read a description of me from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian here.
In 2016, I was appointed the international ambassador for peace and tourism by the government of Guatemala.
Like many native Ixil speakers, I have both Mayan and Spanish first names - Sheba Velasco is my given Mayan name, while Juanita Velasco is my legal name.
I have worked in many museums, culture centers, schools, and universities in Central America, North America, and Europe. Most recently, I was employed for 11 years by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, in New York, NY and Washington, DC.
I moved to the United States in 1981, and am a United States citizen. I speak Ixil Maya, Spanish, and English fluently, and have knowledge of conversational Italian. I am a member of the ActiVoz Interpreting Group for indigenous languages.
I live in the Washington, DC area. For more information, read a description of me from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian here.
