Discovering Yucatan

And so it begins! We are off and running on another winter program with our students from the
College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Our 14 students arrived this past week, excited and
ready for adventure! We spent one day in the capital city of Mérida, the headquarters of our
program, and then set off for four days of orientation throughout the state of Yucatán.

Our first day in Merida, enjoying breakfast.

We kept the students busy, between exploring the wilderness and its plants and their uses, to a
workshop in basket weaving with the local material “bejuco” in which each student produced their
own work of art. We also had our first experience sleeping in hammocks, a necessary skill to earn
your badge as a “Yucateco”. Apart from being woken up by roosters in the morning, everyone
lasted their first night in hammocks.

Our first night in hammocks!

The next day we tested our strength and repelled 200 ft into an underground cave. Once inside the
cave we enjoyed the refreshing waters of the “cenote”, the natural underground wells common in
the Yucatán peninsula. In the evening we enjoyed the preparation of “cochinita pibil”. A yucatecan
pork dish that is cooked underground, which we were able to enjoy the next day at breakfast.

Rappelling into the cenote.

And good thing we did, because we needed not only our strength but also our bravery. We entered
in a cave called “Gruta Chocantes”, the cave of crystals. Our students completed a 5 hour expedition
in the cave. They encountered bats, geckos, spiders, and other creatures inside! Not to mention the
splendor of the cave covered in crystals.

Leaving the cave intact, although dirty and tired, we were off to Valladolid, the second largest city
in the Yucatán. We slept the same, outside in our hammocks among the trees, in an apiary reserve.
In the morning we learned about the bees that are kept there and tasted their delicious honey!

Exploring the first of many Mayan ruins we will be learning about.

En route back to Mérida we stopped in Uayma to enjoy a traditional ceramics workshop. We learned
about the extraction of natural clay, and made our own traditional mayan whistles. Full of new
experiences, questions and excitement for the next stage of the program we arrived back in Mérida.

Before the cave

We had an incredible time exploring just a part of what the Yucatán has to offer. The rest of our
program remains ahead of us to get to know even more of her beauty! Tomorrow our students will
meet their host families and get a head start on spending the first weekend getting to know them!

Small Town Days: Our time in Yaxunah

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

The Grand Adventure: Orientation Trip

Our orientation trip began in the southern part of the state of Yucatan, in the community of San Mateo, where we were able to explore the natural resources of the area and learn about a few of the most important trees in the Mayan culture. We also admired historic buildings in the middle of the jungle that are evidence of military bases that were established along the ancient roads of Yucatan after the Caste War. One of the most fascinating experiences we had was entering into what the ancient Mayans knew as the inframundo , or the underworld. We rappelled down into the cenote of San Mateo, breaking the silence within and sending hundreds of bats circling around the high vaulted ceiling of this massive natural well. It is a unique experience that very few people are lucky enough to see. The next part of our trip took place in the state of Quintana Roo, where we were awed by the beauty and culture of the region. We enjoyed our stay at the lakeside cabañas Síijil Noh Há. The food was g

Merida: Our Days in the City

The first part of the student’s time in Merida, meeting and integrating into their host families, is probably the most important step in beginning an immersion program. In our case, here in Merida, host families are fundamental for the students to adapt to their new urban context. Another important aspect of their time in Merida are their Spanish classes, since the language will allow them to interact and immerse themselves more completely in the culture. During these language classes, the students not only learn grammar and structure, but they are also able to develop their own linguistic abilities by sharing, discussing and practicing the everyday vocabulary and expressions that they hear outside of the classroom. Mayan culture classes are another key part of the program, they help the students understand diverse aspects of the culture, how a Yucatecan family lives, the differences between interacting in an urban or a rural setting, and provide the hidden historical context for wha

Adventures in Yucatan, Mexico

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