Students who participate in the program will spend a semester in Oaxaca, the provincial capital of the state by the same name, located in the eastern Sierra Madre Mountains some 350 miles southeast of Mexico City. While an urban city of 213,000, Oaxaca remains the trading and activity center of the Zapotecs and Mixtecs, native indigenous populations who live in the valley and nearby mountains. The program is divided into three tracks, thus providing opportunities for students of varying degrees of competency in Spanish. Students in this track volunteer in an agency or institution that serves the needs of the disadvantaged citizens of the area.
All students enjoy the same field excursions and guest lectures.
During the semester, local experts in their respective fields will enhance course work with a guest lecture series. 12-hour college Spanish, elementary and intermediate levels. The establishment attests to its name. Designed by its architect owner, the atrium-style hotel has fourteen rooms with private baths, arranged around an open plaza that typifies Oaxacas colonial architectural style. All the rooms are attractively appointed with Mexican artifacts.