The Market, The Museum and Merida en Domingo

This morning we continued our exploration of Merida, but ventured a bit farther out of the touristy downtown. We spent the morning shopping for our cooking class tomorrow, which meant a trip to the market!

Before we head inside the market, Maria gives us a little bit of history. The Lucas de Galvez marketplace has been here since the late 1800's and offers a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, kitchen equipment, pets, plants, traditional sweets, hot food stands and is also a place where you can find cobblers, watch repairmen and other tradesmen.

The goal of the day: buy all the ingredients we need to make some delicious tamales tomorrow! We found Carly and Mary walking around near the candy aisle

They were in search of banana leaves, but weren't sure where to find them, so they asked a vendor and he pointed them in the right direction.

In the outside area we spotted the Reiley, Lilly and Jeremy looking for the last ingredient on the list

Chaya! Chaya is a prickly leaf that has lots of micro-nutrients (like spinach or kale) and is found in all kinds of dishes here, as well as juices! We've tried chaya-pineapple juice, and tomorrow it will be mixed into the dough for our tamales.

After our adventure in the market, we crossed the street to the museum to learn a little bit more about the history of Merida. Here the group is looking at a replica of the Mayan city of T'ho, which is what the conquistadors built the city on top of.

Carly and Reiley found a recreation of a Mayan burial

And Jeremy looks at an old map of the region

We spent a little while wandering around the 3 floors of the museum, then took a stroll down a street with lots of piñata vendors and made our way back to the main square to see all the vendors that put up their stands on Sunday mornings.

Contemplating all the new sights, smells and sounds that we encountered today, and ready for a full day tomorrow!

Yaxunah: Our Days in the Pueblo

Before our next adventure began in the community of Yaxunah,Yaxcabá,Yucatán, we first visited the traditional pottery studio “Najil Kat” belonging to the family Espadas Xooc, in Uayma. Here, the students had the chance to explore the diverse materials and traditional techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation in this family of artists. With the help of Virgilio, we learned about the many types of local soil and clay that are mixed to make a diverse range of creations like vases, plates, mugs, toys, musical instruments, incense holders and more. As part of the workshop, each student sculpted their own little artistic creation, exploring their creativity and the skills necessary to work with the clay. Similar to the time spent in the city of Mérida, the families in Yaxunah are an invaluable aspect for the students to settle into the rhythm of everyday life. The arrival to Yaxunah marks the beginning of a beautiful new family relationship. Students can make s...

A Visit to the Coast and our Return to Merida

A Visit to the Coast and our Return to Merida Before beginning the next stage of our program in San Felipe, a small coastal community on the northern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, we visited the Biosphere Reserve of Ria Lagartos for a boat tour of the estuary. During this tour, we learned about the importance of different types of mangroves, we saw the diverse species of migratory birds that arrive to nest in this region and we admired the endemic bird species that are a key part of the mangrove ecosystem. We also were lucky enough to see majestic groups of flamingos, different types of fishing eagles, herons, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, frigates, plovers and of course, the stars of the “Ria”, Morelet’s crocodiles! Once in the community of San Felipe, the process of meeting our new host families is always a clash of the nerves and excitement that are natural when entering into a completely new sociocultural context. Above all, it is a new opportunity to meet people with big hear...

Immersion Practicum and Ninth Intercultural Unversity Forum 2025

In the final part of the Yucatan Program, our students have the opportunity to complete their Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion Practicum while living in a community apart from the group for three weeks. At this point they get to put into practice everything they learned during the program, as well as getting to know another host family and interact with new people. During this span of three weeks, the students are visited by their professors to see that they are having a positive experience, and above all to make sure that they don't have any problems in developing their independent project, which they were later able to share with us along with their experiences in a presentation upon their return to Merida. Each student’s experience was unique. In Merida, Emmaline was able to help usher in new life through her experience in the birthing unit of a local hospital. On the coast, Drew and Theo discovered new ways of experimenting with their patience in the co...

Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

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