Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

Last night we had our first of three dance classes, our students are quick learners! Take a look at the process....

This winter we have two students participating in a Mayan immersion program. One is focusing on oral history and the other, midwifery. Both are learning the language through taking classes 100% in Mayan and in just a few weeks will start their independent projects in small, Mayan speaking communities. Here is one of our students during her oral exam for her class.

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.

Early Friday morning we began a journey around the peninsula. Our first stop was in Tizimin, the third largest city in Yucatan, at an alternative technical high school that offers courses in community development, raising livestock and management.  We were invited to visit the school, CBTA 14, for an exchange of interests and knowledge. We stared the visit off with a classroom discussion of who we are and what interests we have and then the students did the same and told us about their studies.  Explaining COA and Human Ecology Anna talking about her interests Lea responding to a question about why she wants to learn about other cultures After spending some time getting to know each other, the students lead us outside for a silage workshop. We met some of the steers and learned what they eat. Then we got to help prepare silage which involves fermenting hay in an anaerobic environment to preserve it for use in the dry seasons. This process provides an alternativ