This summer, 12 students and two faculty members are traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico to immerse themselves in the culture and language of Oaxaca, Mexico and develop their conversational fluency and understanding of daily life in Mexico by living with Oaxacan families and attending class at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez. Please enjoy this blog post from Julie ’26 where she shares how students began their first day of classes and explored Oaxaca through local art, street protests, cathedrals, markets, and traditional foods, gaining a deeper appreciation for the city’s rich cultural and historical layers.
Hola familias!
This morning, after enjoying breakfast with our host families, we had our first day of classes. Aidenne ’26 and I were in the same class, which focuses on the culture and civilizations of Mexico, especially in Oaxaca.
I’m excited to learn more about the influence of various indigenous groups on modern Oaxacan culture, especially in the Spanish language and in various art forms.
After lunch, we went on a walking tour to get to know more of the city of Oaxaca. First, we went to the Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca to view a small art gallery. While we were walking down the street to see more of the city, we passed a group of teachers marching in protest of the labor conditions and wages set forth by the Mexican government. I had seen similar protests in movies and media l had studied in my Spanish class at school before coming here, and walking next to the protestors was a very moving experience.
Next, we went into a small cathedral. Julia ’26’s and my host family had explained the significant presence of Catholicism and its churches in Oaxacan culture today, as they can be seen all around the city.
We tried lots of food in a series of local markets, including chapulines, which are crispy and spicy grasshoppers, tejate, a traditional indigenous Oaxacan drink made of cacao flour, corn, and mamey kernel, and pan dulce, which is sweet bread. Next, we went to a local chocolate factory and tried fresh, unsweetened chocolate straight from the bean. On our way back home, a group of us saw a clown show. We were really proud that we were able to understand what he was saying!
We really enjoyed getting to know the city better today and look forward to exploring more in the coming days, while learning more about the local culture and history in our classes at the university.
