U.S. Embassy in Guatemala

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 developing countries around the world. AFCP-supported projects include the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages.

Since 2001,  the AFCP has awarded funds to 13 projects which have helped to support the preservation of cultural sites in Guatemala:

• Conservation of Classic Period Maya Cave Paintings in Naj Tunich Archaeological Park in Petén (2018)
• Preventive Conservation of the Cortes Textile Collection at the Ixchel Museum (2013)
• Conservation of the 3rd-Century Maya Site of Kaminaljuyú (2012)
• Conservation of the Santo Tomás Temple and Convent (2011)
• Restoration of the High Altar and Cloister of the Late 18th-Century Convent of La Merced in Guatemala City (2010)
• Preservation of the Ancient Maya Tomb #12 and Stele #2 in El Mirador-Río Azul National Park (2010)
• Conservation of the Late Pre-Classic Murals at San Bartolo and the Temple of the Hieroglyphic Staircase at Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, Ancient Maya Sites in Eastern Petén (2008)
• Conservation of Artifacts from the Pre-Classic and Classic Maya Site of El Perú-Waka’  (2007)
• Conservation of Late Pre-Classic Maya Murals at San Bartolo (2006)
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (2005)
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology (2002)
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (2001)

Selection Process:

There are two stages in the selection process for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP):

1. Each year, the Cultural Heritage Center (CHC) invites U.S. ambassadors serving in eligible countries to submit project proposals for cultural heritage preservation projects on behalf of museums, NGOs, and other qualified entities. Through its Cultural Affairs Section, the U.S. Embassy opens a call for applications for a specified time period, generally in the month of October.
2. The project selected by the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala is then sent to the CHC in Washington, D.C., which coordinates review of all proposals from participating countries and selects the projects that will ultimately be approved.

The 2022 AFCP call for applications will be open from November 5, 2021, to December 5, 2021.

On November 23., 2021, at 3:00 p.m. Guatemalan time, the Walt Whitman American Center will host a webinar to explain the AFCP application process. The webinar will be conducted in Spanish. Registration at this link:  https://bit.ly/InscripciónFondodelEmbajador2022 (Form available only in Spanish).

All information necessary to apply will be posted here: 2022 U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)