Quechua Language Class

Fall 2017: Study Quechua at UPenn

Why Quechua?

Having Indigenous languages at universities is a way to say: we are here, we have a value. This message goes to everyone, including the indigenous languages speakers whom for a long time were told that their languages shouldn’t exist. Language is linked to culture and knowledge. By building up language prestige – in this case with Quechua – we are also making a statement: This language has a value; therefore, their people do, too. Quechua is the most spoken Indigenous language of the Americas, with 7-8 million speakers mostly in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, and also some areas of Colombia, Argentina and Chile.


One of the best ways to support diversity in higher education is by registering in classes that focus on underrepresented/multicultural topics. Currently, Quechua is the only Indigenous South American language taught at the University of Pennsylvania.

For more information, see Quechua at Penn.