Yesterday our students visited one of the most import historical sites in the city of Merida: Casa de los Montejos. The Montejo family came to Yucatan in the mid 1500's as part of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Our group learned about the colonial er and the history of Merida which was founded by the Montejos on top of an ancient Mayan city. The "House of the Montejos" is located in front of the central plaza in downtown Merida. Today it is a museum that is open to the public at no charge. You can see the bed rooms, living rooms and dining room with much of the original furniture and artwork. They learned household vocabulary and that many words relating to home comforts in Spanish are actually derived from Arabic, dating to the eras when Spain was under Moorish rule.
Before we began our time in the rural community of Yaxunah, we passed through the small city of Acanceh, where we were able to tour through the market and visit the prehispanic structures that make up the ancient Mayan settlement that today is fused with the architecture and modernity of the town. These ancient structures tell their story through the exposed stones and glimpses of preserved stucco. The pyramid of the masks holds eight stuccoed masks, two on each side of the structure, each one with characteristics associated with the sun god Kinich Ahau. A few blocks away, past the large catholic church and down a side street, surrounded by family homes, the Palace of Stuccos has a frisee that adorns the north face of the building with zoomorphic beings. Just like in the city, the best part of the program is when the students get to meet their new host families. The family is the main pillar of support for the student’s immersion into any context, but it is especially important in smal