Everardo Zapata Santillana
Encyclopedia
Everardo Zapata Santillana is a Peru
vian elementary school
teacher
and author
of Coquito - a best-selling book to teach Spanish-speaking
child
ren how to read
and write
.
, Peru
in 1926. His mom died when he was young, and grew up alone with a priest taking care of him. Very early on, he felt the need to study and pursue a career in teaching.
He took his professional training in the Escuela Normal de Varones “San Juan Bautista de La Salle”, Arequipa, where he graduated as an elementary school teacher. He was sent to a small town called Punta de Bombón, Arequipa.
Coquito was first published and sold in the city of Arequipa in 1955. To date, over 35 million children in 12 countries –in South America
, Central America
, the Caribbean
, and Spain
– have learned how to read by using the Coquito method.
Zapata is also the author of more than 60 published teaching materials, for preschool and first-grade children, all distributed under the corporate brand name Ediciones Coquito.
Zapata says he is still looking for increasingly better ways to help children and teachers ease the learning process.
He has five children (four boys and one girl) and ten grandchildren. His youngest grandchild, a three-year-old girl, is currently learning how to read with "Coquito"
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of Coquito - a best-selling book to teach Spanish-speaking
Hispanophone
Hispanophone or Hispanosphere denotes Spanish language speakers and the Spanish-speaking world. The word derives from the Latin political name of the Iberian Peninsula, Hispania, which comprised basically the territory of the modern states of Spain and Portugal.Hispanophones are estimated at...
child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren how to read
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
and write
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
.
Early life
Zapata was born in Tambo Valley, Province of Islay in The Department Of ArequipaArequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in 1926. His mom died when he was young, and grew up alone with a priest taking care of him. Very early on, he felt the need to study and pursue a career in teaching.
He took his professional training in the Escuela Normal de Varones “San Juan Bautista de La Salle”, Arequipa, where he graduated as an elementary school teacher. He was sent to a small town called Punta de Bombón, Arequipa.
The Coquito reading method
In Punta de Bombón he founded a First Grade School in 1952 that now bears his name. After 7 years of research, he developed Coquito - a method to teach children to read, write and think. He was about to name his book "sunset", or "evening", but he dreamed about a very funny and mischievous boy named "Coquito".Coquito was first published and sold in the city of Arequipa in 1955. To date, over 35 million children in 12 countries –in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and Spain
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...
– have learned how to read by using the Coquito method.
Zapata is also the author of more than 60 published teaching materials, for preschool and first-grade children, all distributed under the corporate brand name Ediciones Coquito.
Zapata says he is still looking for increasingly better ways to help children and teachers ease the learning process.
He has five children (four boys and one girl) and ten grandchildren. His youngest grandchild, a three-year-old girl, is currently learning how to read with "Coquito"