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John
Hays
Mucho gusto. I’m John Hays and I teach Spanish at Tyler Junior College. We like to think that we provide a link in the community because we know how important the Texas-México connection is for all involved. However important México might be, we never lose sight of the ever increasing role the rest of Latin America plays. My special Latin American interests are three fold: Venezuela Paraguay and Brazil. I attended TJC and received my B.A. from Stephen F. Austin in European History and Spanish. In a few short months after graduation I was on my way to Paraguay as a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years working as an agricultural extention agent in rural Paraguay. Returning to graduate school at the University of Houston, I found my interest had definitely settled in linguistics and language which led to the M.A. under Drs. Carl Reinhart and and Carlos Monsanto. Yet, it is no surprise that Texas, indeed, the USA , has traditionally dealt more with our next door neighbor than with any other western hemispheric country. Gradually, I have transferred my enthusiasm to México, and because of friends, I spend a portion of my reading time on Venezuelan and Brazilian (I speak Portuguese well enough to comunicate on an FSI rating of 2+) topics. México, however, occupies the majority of my time; both modern history and pre-Columbian. Through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities , I studied nahuatl, the language of the Aztec culture with UT Austin linguist Dr. Frances Kartunnen. Mesoamerica. It has for sometime consumed my study and travel time, since such exciting things are happening in the decipherment of the Maya Syllabary, now the focus of much of the activities in Mesoamerican Studies. The Foundation (FAMSI) was created in 1993 to foster increased understanding of ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The Foundation aims to assist and promote qualified scholars who might otherwise be unable to undertake or complete their programs of research and synthesis. Projects in the following disciplines are urged to apply: anthropology, archaeology, art history, epigraphy, ethnography, ethnohistory, linguistics, and related fields. Now you know why we love Spanish. The joy of making contact with the Spanish and Portuguese speaking peoples of Latin America is what drives our activity based program. Other Links Terra.com: España
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