Ruta Quetzal
Encyclopedia
The Ruta Quetzal is a trip taken yearly by hundreds of Latin America
n, Spanish
, and other Spanish
and Portuguese
-speaking students.
his idea to form a trip for teenagers from Spain, Latin America and other countries of Asia and Europe, one which would promote intercultural exchange between the youth of Spanish
speaking countries, as well as youngsters from more than 50 countries. Half of the students come from the Iberian peninsula
, around a quarter from Latin America, and the remainder from Europe and Asia.
That same year, the expeditions began.
The expeditions are led by Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo. Currently, the camp leader is Jesús Luna.
Each year, youths from more and more countries become eligible to participate. In 2008, 360 students from 56 countries participated, including the 2 newest countries China and Bulgaria.
The selection process usually consists of an invitation to submit an original piece of historical, literary, artistic or musical work covering one of several pre-designated topics, followed by an interview.
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and other Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
-speaking students.
History
In 1979, Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo, Quetzal Route currently director since the beginning of the Ruta (as it's called by the routers), proposed to the king Juan Carlos I of SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
his idea to form a trip for teenagers from Spain, Latin America and other countries of Asia and Europe, one which would promote intercultural exchange between the youth of Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
speaking countries, as well as youngsters from more than 50 countries. Half of the students come from the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, around a quarter from Latin America, and the remainder from Europe and Asia.
That same year, the expeditions began.
The expeditions are led by Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo. Currently, the camp leader is Jesús Luna.
Each year, youths from more and more countries become eligible to participate. In 2008, 360 students from 56 countries participated, including the 2 newest countries China and Bulgaria.
Other information
Many different routes have been travelled through the years. Usually, the students chosen to take the trip are among the best in Spain, Portugal, and many of the countries that form Latin America.The selection process usually consists of an invitation to submit an original piece of historical, literary, artistic or musical work covering one of several pre-designated topics, followed by an interview.