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Our Name and Address:
Spanish School San Jose el Viejo
Tel: + (502) 7832-3028
School is accredited by the Ministry of Education of Guatemala and National Tourist Commission One teacher per student A different teacher every week (The student may keep the same teacher as long as she/he has not been requested in advance by another student). Classes begin every Monday. 32.5 hours per week from Monday through Friday (8:00 -12:00 & 13:30 - 16:00). If the student is unable to start on Monday, it is possible to study Tuesday-Saturday if requested in advance Teachers have been specially trained in Spanish grammar and conversational Spanish The school provides to each student and teacher a well illuminated cubicle in a beautiful garden setting. The teaching areas are equipped with 2 comfortable padded chairs, a table and whiteboard. Text books, exercise books, and dictionaries are provided free to the student while attending the school. A $30 deposit is required for the books and it is reimbursed when the books are returned. The majority of our teachers are Certificated Primary School Teachers and have been previously trained and required to pass a written test and oral exam in order to qualify as a teacher for San Jose el Viejo. For your communication needs, the school offers, during office hours, 3 computers with free internet access to all students. For those students staying at the school's accommodations, internet access is available 24/7. Half of the 30 cubicles are equipped with telephone extensions for directing incoming calls to the students. A dedicated fax line is also available to receive and send faxes at a minimal cost. The school does not provide classes on the following dates due to National holidays and days are non-refundable:
The school is situated next to the ruins of the chapel of San Jose el Viejo (4 blocks away from the Central Plaza of Antigua).
Because of their ignorance the people did not get the King of Spain's permission before construction began. The request was made in 1742. Because the law had not been followed, His Majesty ordered the church closed in 1744. In 1745, a new request was sent to the King, which explained the need for the church by the citizens of this community. Eventually, the necessary approval was obtained and the chapel reopened. There is no definite date of the reopening of the church, but it is reported that San Jose el Viejo was damaged in the earthquake of 1751. The building of a more spacious church was undertaken, but the lack of funds caused the work to proceed very slowly. It was not completed until 1761 and Dedication ocurred in February, 1762. Conciousness of earthquakes is apparent in the construction of San Jose el Viejo. The walls are relatively low for the proportions of the church and they are heavily butressed. The details of the facade are not consistent, or even orthodox, but the general baroque effect is not unpleasant. The single nave is very well lighted and and has more architectural merit than the facade. The building was irreparably damaged during the earthquake of 1773. Until Antigua was made a National Monument in 1944, San Jose el Viejo was used as a barn for the adjacent farm. It still remains in better condition than most of the churches that experienced the earthquakes of 1762, 1773 and those that ocurred during nearly two centuries since the destruction of Antigua. The school building, located adjacent to the ruins, used to be part of the church. |
When Spanish School San Jose el Viejo was
established in 1989, there were many Spanish Language schools in Antigua .
However, we are proud to mention that we were the first school to be
accredited by both the Ministry of Education of Guatemala and the National
Tourist Commission. Nowdays, we are one of the leading schools in Antigua
and most professionally run.
Around 1736 a modest chapel was begun in the
Tortuguero District of Antigua for the housing of a splendid statue of Saint
Joseph which was the work of the great sculptor Alonso de la Paz. The little
hermitage was used by the poor people of this populous district which lacked
a house of worship.