Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon: Program Registration 3:00-5:00 p.m.: After checking into the hotel and getting your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, to get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule and other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet at the front desk when you check in. Orientation at 5:00 p.m.: The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Transportation for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please be aware that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner: At 6:30 p.m. in the hotel meeting room enjoy a buffet with salad, selection of entrées and dessert plus coffee, tea, water.
Evening: Take the rest of the evening to continue getting to know your fellow participants, relax, and get a good night’s sleep for the full day ahead.
Activity note: Getting on/off motorcoach (no lift), standing at site visits and museum; walking up to several blocks over paved terrain in Old Town.
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room at 7:30 a.m.; selections usually include fruit, yogurts, pastries, oatmeal, eggs, potatoes, turkey sausage, juice and coffee.
Morning: This morning our expert instructor will introduce us to the fascinating history of conversos and Crypto Jews in New Mexico, dating back to the time of the Spanish Inquisition.
Lunch: Plated meal from a select menu at a popular restaurant in Old Town includes salad, selection of entrées, coffee, tea, soft drinks and water (additional beverages available for purchase.)
Afternoon: After lunch we'll travel to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. This beautiful, unique center, operated by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, preserves and perpetuates Pueblo culture through tribally curated exhibits. The museum on the lower level showcases the history and arts of the Pueblo people in two permanent exhibitions.
Dinner: In the hotel meeting room.
Evening: We'll continue learning about Crypto-Jewish history with a lecture entitled "The Columbus Question."
Activity note: Getting on/off coach; traveling 60 miles (1.5 hours) to Acoma Pueblo; standing and walking for as long as 2 hours over uneven and rough packed dirt terrain at Acoma Pueblo (walkers and wheelchairs not advised.)
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room.
Morning: After breakfast we'll board our motorcoach and depart for Acoma Pueblo. Acoma's ties to Jewish history in New Mexico lie in the Pueblo's relationship to Jewish trader Solomon Bibo, the only non-Indian to become governor of a Native American Pueblo. Built on top of a 367-foot-high mesa to protect it from attack, the old Pueblo village has no electricity and no running water. While a few dozen Pueblo members live atop the mesa, most live in villages at the base of the mesa. On arrival at the Sky City Cultural Center we'll transfer to a Pueblo bus and drive to the top of the mesa where we'll explore the old village, see the 17th-century San Esteban del Rey mission church and meet some of the inhabitants of this remarkable historic place.
Lunch: In the Cultural Center meeting room choice of chicken or vegetarian wraps and soft drinks.
Afternoon: After returning to the hotel we'll "Meet a Converso" where we'll hear about our instructor's journey of discovery into his converso/Crypto-Jewish heritage.
Dinner: In the hotel meeting room.
Evening: Optional video in the meeting room.
Activity note: Walking over paved terrain; standing for an hour at the Hispanic Cultural Center.
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room.
Morning: We'll begin the day with an expert-led lecture on the topic of New Mexico's hidden Jewish legacy. We'll then travel to the National Hispanic Cultural Center, which will help to expand our understanding of the area's Hispanic history and culture. The National Hispanic Cultural Center celebrates the art and culture of Hispanic traditions through a variety of exhibits including a performance center, art museum and a library. The permanent collection features Frederico Vigil’s buon fresco, “Mundos de Mestizaje,” depicting thousands of years of Hispanic and pre-Hispanic history, and ¡Aqui Estamos!, a circulating exhibition of art from the Center’s permanent collection.
Lunch: Plated meal from a select menu at a local restaurant includes selection of entrées, coffee, tea, soft drinks and water (additional beverages available for purchase.)
Afternoon: Return to the hotel for a free afternoon.
Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to sample the local cuisine. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and directions.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Getting on/off coach; traveling 60 miles one way (1 hour); walking from several blocks up to a mile over paved but uneven sidewalks.
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room.
Morning: This morning we'll depart for an all-day field trip to Santa Fe, 60 miles north of Albuquerque. On arrival, we'll go to Museum Hill on the outskirts of town for visits to the the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture features pottery, jewelry, sculpture, baskets, and other objects made by Native Americans from the earliest times to modern day, scrupulously documented and beautifully displayed. Most of the work is from the Southwest. The Museum of International Folk Art continues to focus on indigenous populations from around the world through their art – ranging from ceremonial dress and masks to furniture. The museum hosts the largest collection of international folk art in the world, including wings featuring some of the 106,000 pieces donated by collectors Alexander and Susan Girard and Lloyd Cotsen's Neutrogena collection. After our museum visits, we'll travel to downtown Santa Fe.
Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost so that you can dine at a Santa Fe restaurant of your choice. Santa Fe is considered a "foodie's" paradise, and is renowned for the breadth and depth of its culinary offerings. There are a number of fine restaurants within walking distance of the Santa Fe Plaza. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and directions.
Afternoon: Free time for independent explorations from 1:00-5:00 p.m. There are many colorful shops and galleries in the area, as well as a number of museums. The Palace of the Governors and New Mexico History Museum (immediately across from the Plaza bandstand) feature historic documents and exhibits relating to the settlement of New Mexico and Santa Fe. The New Mexico Museum of Art (adjacent to the Plaza) offers changing exhibits by famous past and present artists of New Mexico and the Southwest. Other nearby museums and sites of interest include the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (4 blocks west of the Plaza on Johnson Street) dedicated to the work of this extraordinary artist, the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, the state capitol building, which houses an impressive collection by New Mexico artists and sculptors, the Loretto Chapel with its intriguing spiral staircase, and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which is noteworthy for its architectural beauty and the Tetragrammaton set above the doorway. At 5:00 p.m. we'll meet our motorcoach at a designated location near the Plaza and depart for Albuquerque.
Dinner: In the hotel meeting room.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Hotel checkout time: 12:00 p.m.
Breakfast: In the hotel meeting room.
Morning: This morning between 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. we'll hear from another Crypto/Converso descendant who will discuss her heritage and experiences. We'll then have our program closing. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please be in touch via the Road Scholar Social Network, where you can share memories, pictures, and comments. Best wishes for all your journeys!
Afternoon: Hotel checkout time is 12:00 p.m.
