A country's history and culture find their most delectable expression through its foods. Nowhere is this truer than in Mexico, where cuisine blends the heritage of its many inhabitants over the ages. Culinary values reveal a variety of cultures and geographical areas, as well as the interplay among ethnic groups whose language, foods, myths, heroes, music, art and architecture have enriched the unique nation that is Mexico.

Highlights

Get hands-on in a series of cooking classes as you learn the secrets of delicious Mexican delicacies.

Discuss Mexican society, from pre-Columbian times to the present, with an expert historian.

Visit the Zapotec city of Monte Albán, thought to be the Americas’ oldest urban center.

Activity Particulars

Elevation is 5,085 feet. Walking up to two miles per day, uneven terrain.

Day 1

Days 1-8

Explore the connection between culture and cuisine with a historian, who outlines Mexican society past and present, the country’s contemporary politics and economic status, and the vibrant handicraft traditions of Oaxaca. Find context for these discussions on visits to significant sites. Explore Santo Domingo Museum and Santo Domingo Church and visit Monte Albán, built by the Zapotecs and considered the Americas’ oldest urban center. Discover Arrazola, famous for its brightly colored alebrijes, go inside the Mitla archaeological site, and trace the Ocotlan route, including Jalietza, Coyotepec and Ocotlan. Lectures on Mexican cuisine introduce pre-Hispanic foods, holiday dishes and native Oaxaca cooking while relating your studies in Mexican culture to the evolution of the nation’s cuisine. In several hands-on cooking classes, prepare Mexican dishes related to each topic, and visit a local marketplace to see how chefs choose their ingredients.

Lodging: Converted colonial-style house in historic center.

Mexico

The oldest of the land’s found by Europeans in the New World, Mexico has endured a rough history at the hands of Cortes and subsequent invaders. Despite a turbulent past, the country maintains its relaxed and inviting charm with a mix of modern and traditional from its industrious cities to its captivating wildernesses.