Quechua is an indigenous language of South America. Once spoken in the Inka Empire, it now has an estimated 8-10 million speakers in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and other Andean countries. Quechua-speaking migrants from all of these regions also live across the United States and Europe. Quechua is the most widely spoken American Indigenous language today and has the status of an official language in Peru and Bolivia.
Learn the language through a comprehensive program featuring beginner, intermediate, and advanced level courses. FLAS-eligible, these courses are an essential resource for students interested in working with indigenous communities of the Andes.
Meet the Quechua Instructor
Quechua Instructor Adela Carlos Rios, Lecturer II in Latin American & Caribbean studies, is a native of Cusco, Peru, and speaks Quechua as her first language. Adela has been teaching Quechua at the University of Michigan since fall 2014. She has a research interest in Quechua ethnobotany, or how the Quechua people utilize medicinal plants to improve their health and maintain their cultural identity.
