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Spring 2019: Yucatan

Students and faculty in the course will travel to Yucatan during our March break for a unique opportunity to put theory into practice. There, we will document our journey visually and verbally, as well as live in the culture as a community. Students will learn about Mexican art, history, and politics. The $950 course fee will cover roundtrip airfare, lodging and some other expenses in Mexico. Each student is requested to bring $350 for any additional travel expenses. 

 

Why the Yucatan?

Yucatan with multiple lenses, including the study of geography and natural resources, settlement of the Americas, the Mayan calendar and concept of time, Maya city states, architecture, writing, spirituality, and the collapse of a civilization. Emphasis will be placed on how the modern Maya have emerged from the ancient, and how travel informs our scholarship.

 

 

 

 

mapa.jpg
YUCATAN

 

Day by Day Draft Itinerary

Revised 10-day schedule will be uploaded
by November 15th based on the below:

Day 1 - MARCH 14   Dep. Logan @ 5 AM.  Arrive Cancun- travel 3 hrs to Valladolid - check in to hotels - Dinner together -  explore the city at night

Day 2 - MARCH 15   Valladolid market for breakfast - Casa de los Venados (art museum) - street tacos for lunch - MUREM (ethnic clothing museum) - San Bernadino Cathederal & convent - San Lorenzo Oxman cenote - San Juan pero caliente & hamburguesas or panuchos - Movie?

Day 3- - MARCH 16    - Visit Dzitnup - service project at elementary school - walk the sacbe - prepare traditional Mayan meal (make tortillas) - visit village cemetary - swim in another cenote (Xla Kaj?) -  

Day 4- MARCH 17 - After breakfast  travel to and explore the ruins at Ek Balam.  Then on to the city of Tizimin for lunch in or near the main market then visit the church of the Three Kings  and perhaps the zoo.  Return to Valladolid with refreshment and interest stops in Temozon and Popola.

Day 5  -  MARCH 18   - Group 1  early departure to Merida -  visit Gran Museo del MUNDO MAYA - late lunch - tour Governor's Palace (murals of Yucatan history) & Merida Cathederal - check in to hotel.  Free time to explore the city.  Dinner in small groups
    Group 2   - Drive to Chichen Itza - spend the day touring the ruins - lunch at a to be discovered eatery   - perhaps a side visit to the village of Chan Kom and/or a swim in another cenot- back to Valladolid for dinner and time to discuss our projects

Day 6 - MARCH 19  -  Group 1  after breakfast drive from Merida to Izamal - climb the maya pyramid (Kinich-Kakmo) visit Diego Da Landa's cathederal - lunch at the Izamal market -  stopping in a number of villages to visit their parks and churches on our way back to Valladolid. Dinner together (or seperately) and time to discuss progress on individual projects.
    Group 2 - early departure to Merida -  visit Gran Museo del MUNDO MAYA - late lunch - tour Governor's Palace (murals of Yucatan history) & Merida Cathederal - check in to hotel.  Free time to explore the city.  Dinner in small groups

Day 7  -   MARCH 20  -  Group 1 - Drive to Chichen Itza - spend the day touring the ruins - lunch at a to be discovered eatery   - perhaps a side visit to the village of Chan Kom and/or a swim in another cenot- back to Valladolid for dinner and time to discuss our projects
    Group 2 - after breakfast drive from Merida to Izamal - climb the maya pyramid (Kinich-Kakmo) visit Diego Da Landa's cathederal - lunch at the Izamal market -  stopping in a number of villages to visit their parks and churches on our way back to Valladolid. Dinner together (or seperately) and time to discuss progress on individual projects.

Day 8 -  MARCH 21  -  The last 2 days will be used to pursue information and images that are needed or desired for your personal project work. We will do our best to help you get what you need and help you develop your ideas.

Day 9  -  MARCH 22 - - Relax - reflect  - wander the city - personal project work - PACK for a 5AM departure tomorrow.  Dinner together.

Day 10 - MARCH 23 -  - to Cancun and flight home

 

About Hotel Accomodations

Transportation [UMA faculty will be driving two 11-passenger vans], housing, activities, and some meals are included. There is a chance for co-ed housing as hotel rooms are for two students. 

Hotel One just outside Valladolid:
Cenote Cabañas Suytun for 8 students

their Facebook page

Google pics

Google maps

Hotel Two Valladolid: Boutique Hotel Gayser

for 8 students

Google maps

Google pics

Merida Hotel:

Piedre De Agua Hotel Boutique, Merida

Hotel website

Reading List

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, Jared Diamond


Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan, John L. Stephens

 

YUCATAN Before and After the Conquest, Friar Diego de Landa

POPOL VUH, translated by Dennis Tedlock

 

The Caste War of the Yucatan, Nelson Reed

 

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, Charlkes C. Mann


The Modern Maya, MacDuff Everton


A Forest of Kings: the Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, Linda Schele & David Freidel


White Roads of the Yucatan
, Justine Shaw


The Ordeal of Change
, Eric Hoffer


Ancient Maya Women, Traci Arden


The Lost World of Quintana Roo
, Michel Peissel


Chan Kom- A Maya village
, Robert Redfield & Alfonso Villa Rojas


The Future of an Illusion, Sigmund Freud


Time Among the Maya
, Ronald Wright

Helpful Links:

 

Mexico: Travel Code of Ethics

This is a cultural excursion associated with the University of Maine at Augusta, not a vacation.  Our permission to enter the country is contracted with a regulated travel agency, with a full schedule of educational and cultural activities. Free time is limited, and during that time, consider yourself a cultural ambassador of UMA, contributing to responsible global citizenship.  This includes the following:
 

  1. Respect the local culture. Inform yourself about recent and current events on the island
    Learn a few basic Spanish phrases, and know something of the country’s ethos.  Mexico's lack of infrastructure may come as a surprise to some first-time travelers. Although Yucatan’s climate is tropical, dress with respect to the locals.  Shorts and tank tops are not generally worn in churches, museums, and other settings.
     

  2.  Respect your hosts – the people of Mexico 
    This includes respecting their diversity of experience, customs, views, and background, their expertise, and the time they have taken from their lives and schedules to share with you (punctuality being one sign of respect).  Respect those of all walks of life, skin color, gender, and sexual orientation. Avoid any semblance of exploitation (e.g. ask permission before snapping pictures of individual people).   
     

  3.  Respect the country’s natural resources, including reducing use fossil fuels and water. 
    Turn off the lights, air conditioner, and fans; be cognizant water use; and take a small bag along for trash in case a bin isn’t readily available.
     

  4. Plan to be out of touch
    When available, Internet is slow and expensive. Instead of spending time to connect back in the states, appreciate where you are.  Write in your journal, write a letter.  Phone calls to the USA should be placed only in the case of an emergency. 
     

  5. Understand evening etiquette
    You will be on your own for dinners, and we ask that you always use a buddy system when away from the group.  Valladolid and Merida are safe cities, with thousands of tourists passing through each year, but pick pockets may target unsuspecting visitors.  At night we will have a sign-in at the hotel front desk so we can be sure everyone is home safely after dinner (by 11:00 p.m.).
     

  6. Do Not Engage in Risky Behavior
    The drinking age in Maine is 21, and we honor that legality while traveling.  Illegal substances in Maine are also illegal in Mexico, and the consequences for using such substances are dire.  Excessive drinking, or participating in any risky behavior is significantly more dangerous where there is a linguistic and cultural barrier. 
     

  7. Participate Fully
    Our days are packed with events, and you are expected to participate.  Be rested, so you can be fresh from breakfast until later in the day.  Staying healthy and well-rested is key to a successful trip of this intensity.  If you have any problems, we will post a designated faculty to whom you can report any issues. 

 
Other Issues:

1.  Pack with care.  Pharmacies and convenience stores are few and far between, so make sure to bring in necessary toiletries, sunscreen, and medicines. Snacks like granola bars can also come in handy.

2.  Plan your currency.  Credit and debit/ATM cards work there.  You can change your U.S. dollars into Mexican Pesos at banks and ATMs.

3.  Drink bottled water, even in higher-end hotels. Public restrooms may not be as clean as you are accustomed to;  carry toilet paper, (don't flush it; that's what the small trash cans in stalls are for), and hand sanitizer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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