Location

Mexico City, founded in 1325, is a city immersed in a history that still vibrates and impacts the country, while also taking its place as the “capital of the 21st Century, “ as one of the most economically powerful cities in the world. Students will spend one week in Mexico City visiting the world renowned National Museum of Anthropology, the Zocalo, Teotihuacan (City of the Gods), and participate in discussions and lectures about the history and culture, and Mexico’s present and future.     

Puebla and Nealtican;  Puebla was founded in 1531, and is one of the five most important Spanish colonial cities in Mexico.  Historians consider Puebla to be the area used for “Flower Wars” among the pre-Columbian populations of the area.  Puebla is the site of the great 5 de Mayo battle where the Mexican rebels defeated the French army.  Nealtican is 14 miles from Puebla, a small rural community near the volcanos Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, and 6 miles from Cholula, the location of the Great Pyramid, which is four times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Students will meet the community and children of Nealtican, through workshops and service activities at the trilingual school focused on teaching children in Spanish, Nahuatl, and now English.

Guanajuato, founded in 1559, is where “the history and folklore come alive in the streets and alleyways.”  See where the Mexican Revolution began and experience Mexico’s “Freedom Trail.”  Meet the people and participate in service activities at Resplandor, a community center built by Dr. Todd Fletcher, UA professor.