Summer Travel Series: Mexico
Mayan Experience in Mexico
June 28 – July 11, 2025
Alvaro Ramirez
$2,425 double / $3,525 single
18 participants minimum
Trip Description
On this trip, you will experience the modern, colonial, and indigenous heritage of Mexico. First, you’ll get to explore the postmodern metropolis that is Mexico City, visiting iconic places such as the Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of National History, and Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul. You’ll ride a colorful boat in the canals of Xochimilco and attend a performance of the world-famous Ballet Folklórico Mexicano at the magnificent building of Bellas Artes. You’ll then travel to Puebla, on the way making a stop to see the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacán. In Puebla you’ll appreciate beautiful colonial churches and architecture; and stroll through one of the forts where the Battle of Cinco de Mayo took place. You’ll also enjoy the rich variety of foods the region offers, especially its famous mole poblano and tasty cemitas. After Puebla, you’ll travel to the wonderful city of Oaxaca where, among other activities, you’ll walk and climb through the ruins of Monte Albán and Mitla; and visit the spectacular church of Santo Domingo. Of course, you’ll also have a great culinary experience as Oaxaca offers many excellent types of mole. You’ll eat tlayudas and drink some of the best chocolate and coffee you’ll ever taste. Our trip ends in Oaxaca.
Hope you join us on this magical trip to experience the Indigenous, colonial and modern cultures that continue to define Mexico today!
Info Sessions
December 27, 6:30 PM
December 30, 6:30 PM
January 27, 6:30 PM
January 29, 6:30 PM
February 4, 6:30 PM
February 5, 6:30 PM
Zoom link: https://stmarys-ca.zoom.us/j/92030019253?pwd=OEboVWCQYd9UHDRmX5FnRvdiuPNgLf.1
Key Dates
Deposits due: April 3
Final payments: April 28
June 28 Arrival in Mexico City
June 29 Excursion: Zócalo, Basílica de la Virgen de Guadalupe
June 30 Excursión: Museo Soumaya
July 01 Museum of National History, Museum of National Anthropology
July 02 Ballet Folklórico
July 03 Xochimilco, Coyoacán,Museo Frida Kahlo
July 04 Teotihuacán, arrival in Puebla
July 05 Puebla Centro, Los Fuertes
July 06 Cholula
July 07 Arrive in Oaxaca
July 08 Afternoon excursion Oaxaca Centro
July 09 Monte Albán, Mitla
July 10 Hierbelagua
July 11 Return to USA
Trip Leader: Álvaro Ramírez
Professor Álvaro Ramírez has taught courses on Mexican history, literature, and film in the departments of World Languages and Cultures, Anthropology, and Sociology. He has taken students to Mexico during Jan Term regularly since 1995 and served as Resident Director of Saint Mary’s Semester Abroad Program in Cuernavaca from 2000 to 2020.
He has traveled throughout Mexico with students during Jan Term for the past 25 years. In summer 2023, he offered the first Mayan Experience in which 26 participants enrolled. The success of this trip was so resounding that he is offering once more to give other alumni and friends the chance to experience the magnificent Mayan region of Mexico while reconnecting and reminiscing with former SMC students and learning about their current lives.