Southern Mexico: San Cristóbal, Chiapas

2000 Director: William Garcia (Union College) Campus Contact - Off-Campus Programs (Spring '02)

(Note: This is a summary of the last program to provide some basic information. Specific details of the 2002 program will be provided at recruitment sessions and orientation meetings.)

This is a collaborative program with Union College. The San Cristóbal program alternates with a language-intensive program in Cuernavaca, based at the Centro Bilingüe, affiliated with the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. Further details TBA

Mesoamerica in general and southern Mexico in particular form one of the two great cradles of civilization in the New World. The region around what is now the state of Chiapas was a center for much of this development. Its history includes a long period of residence by hunter-gatherers, early domestication of plants, the first real city and the development of writing systems. The Maya were the inventors of advanced mathematical systems and astronomy, complex city-states, a literary and mythological system that continues to inform and guide lives today, and one of the most powerful and complex art styles the world has ever seen. Today the region is still home to a great variety of peoples, from traditional Indians to modern bureaucrats. The natural history, likewise, is rich and variable, extending in time from primary tropical forest to contemporary denuded near-desert, and in space from mountaintop snows to coastal rain forests. In this region there still exist some of the wild ancestors of the cultigens so important to human life and also some species of plants and animals these same humans have endangered almost to the point of extinction. The aim of the program is to study the rich and complex variety of natural and human populations of the region, their interactions with each other, and the political and ecological implications of their lives for the rest of the planet. The program is based in the small city of San Cristóbal de las Casas (pop., approx. 100,000) located in the pine-clad mountains of Chiapas state, Mexico's southern most state. (Note: This is a summary of the last program to provide some basic information. Specific details of the 2002 program will be provided at recruitment sessions and orientation meetings.) This is a collaborative program with Union College. The San Cristóbal program alternates with a language-intensive program in Cuernavaca, based at the Centro Bilingüe, affiliated with the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. Further details TBA Mesoamerica in general and southern Mexico in particular form one of the two great cradles of civilization in the New World. The region around what is now the state of Chiapas was a center for much of this development. Its history includes a long period of residence by hunter-gatherers, early domestication of plants, the first real city and the development of writing systems. The Maya were the inventors of advanced mathematical systems and astronomy, complex city-states, a literary and mythological system that continues to inform and guide lives today, and one of the most powerful and complex art styles the world has ever seen. Today the region is still home to a great variety of peoples, from traditional Indians to modern bureaucrats. The natural history, likewise, is rich and variable, extending in time from primary tropical forest to contemporary denuded near-desert, and in space from mountaintop snows to coastal rain forests. In this region there still exist some of the wild ancestors of the cultigens so important to human life and also some species of plants and animals these same humans have endangered almost to the point of extinction. The aim of the program is to study the rich and complex variety of natural and human populations of the region, their interactions with each other, and the political and ecological implications of their lives for the rest of the planet. The program is based in the small city of San Cristóbal de las Casas (pop., approx. 100,000) located in the pine-clad mountains of Chiapas state, Mexico's southern most state.

PROGRAM DATES
 Approximately January 4 to April 19, 2002

ACCOMMODATIONS
 Students will be housed in San Cristóbal with Mexican families where they will take their meals. San Cristóbal is a favorite destination for visitors looking for something a little different from the touristy beach resorts and big cities that draw most international tourists. Students will receive instruction in Spanish from a local language school, Instituto Jovel, the affiliate school of the Colleges. Accommodations on the excursions will vary from first-class hotels to camp sites. Tents will be provided, but students should bring a sleeping bag, details TBA at pre-departure orientation meetings.

EXCURSIONS
 From the base in San Cristóbal the group will make numerous day trips to surrounding villages and forest sites. On past programs the group made visits to sites such as Bonampak and Yaxchilán along the Usumacinta River, the Chajul Research Station, and El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. A major excursion to the Yucatán will be taken to visit archaeological sites such as Palenque, Chichen Itzá, Cobá, an Uxmal.

ELIGIBILITY
 The program is open to all non-first year students with a grade point average of 2.5 or above and demonstrated language competence in Spanish (minimum, one semester of college-level Spanish or its equivalent, higher Spanish proficiency preferred).

APPROXIMATE COSTS
 The comprehensive fee for the program is based on tuition, room, and board for Spring Semester, approximately $16,255. This fee will cover all host institution tuition and fees, all group excursions, transportation, room and board costs for the semester. Additional expenses not covered in the program fee include airfare, books, and personal expenses. While these costs vary according to personal tastes and needs, we estimate a total of $1700.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Spanish language (Garcia and local faculty at the Instituto Jovel) The course will integrate formal instruction in Spanish at Instituto Jovel with direct cultural experience in diverse urban and rural settings. Students will be divided into small groups designed to accommodate different levels of language proficiency in classes taught by local faculty.

Biology 210: Ecology and Conservation in Southern Mexico (Sergio Magaña-Ruedo) This course will introduce students to the diversity of natural ecosystems of southern Mexico (from dry scrub lands to tropical rain forests). The state of Chiapas is ranked #2 in vertebrate species diversity in Mexico; over 65% of the bird species of Mexico are found in the state. The plant diversity is also extremely high. In the tropical rainforest ecosystems, many species haven't even been scientifically classified. Many of the plants and animals in the part of Mesoamerica are found nowhere else in the world. Southern Mexico has recently come to the attention of international conservation groups because of the richness of its natural ecosystems and the fact that these ecosystems are rapidly disappearing and being replaced by human-managed ecosystems for commercial forestry, agriculture, and cattle ranching. Very little land has been set aside for conservation. The World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and the Nature Conservancy, among others, are now working with local organizations to develop conservation programs for these organizations to develop conservation programs for these threatened lands. Much of the class time will be spent "in the field" rather than in the classroom. The group will visit biosphere reserves and other parks and conservation areas, agricultural lands, and forestry projects.

Popular Culture and Media in Mexican Society (Garcia) The cultural studies course is designed to introduce the students to the culture of Mexico through a survey of manifestations and artifacts of popular culture (religious festivities, cultural/popular icons, film & music), and of media. The analysis of non-literary texts and of pop cultural artifacts will serve as the point of departure for discussions regarding political and social trends, social behaviour, gender relations, social and sexual otherness, class issues, and popular customs in Mexican society. The introduction of the course will provide the necessary critical tools-definitions of popular culture and its manifestations, public/private culture, "high" culture vs. "low" culture, Mexican film history, Third World film theory, First World cultural imperialism, the role of mass media in society, etc.-that will serve as the cricial basis for the study of the material.