Mexico Through the Centuries
Lafayette College
Professors Juan J. Rojo and Luis F. Schettino
Course Description:
This course in Mexico will give students the opportunity to learn about Mexican history and its relation to the present day. Specifically, students will explore the manner in which pre-Columbian traditions as well as Mexico’s colonial heritage and modern socioeconomic pressures are manifested in many of its present day attitudes and social customs. Specifically, students will have the opportunity to experience first-hand Mexico as an autonomous set of values, historical currents, and reactions to external pressures. Finally, students will explore various cultural sites in Mexico such as Xochimilco, Monte Albán, and Palenque and inform themselves as to the impact these spaces still have in contemporary Mexican society.
Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, students will:
· be able to explain the impact of Mexico’s indigenous and colonial heritage on present day cultural and social interactions.
· be able to contextualize Mexico’s indigenous population and its place in a Latin American Context.
· be able compare Mexican attitudes towards to United States vs. Americans’ perceptions of these attitudes.
· understand the manner in which Mexican perceptions are a product of an endemic historical dynamic.
Required Readings:
A reader prepared by Profs. Rojo and Schettino including selections from:
Christie, Maria Elisa. Kitchenspace: Women, Fiestas, and Everyday Life in Central Mexico.
Coe, Michael D. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs.
Craven, David. “Ministry of Education Murals (1923-1928) and the New Mass Politics”. Art and Revolution in Latin America, 1910-1990.
Goertzen, Chris. Made in Mexico : Tradition, Tourism, and Political Ferment in Oaxaca.
Kennedy, Diana. Oaxaca al gusto, an infinite gastronomy.
Academic Honesty:
To maintain the scholarly standards of the College and, equally important, the personal ethical standards of our students, it is essential that written assignments be a student’s own work, just as is expected in examinations and class participation. A student who commits academic dishonesty is subject to a range of penalties, including suspension or expulsion. Finally, the underlying principle is one of intellectual honesty. If a person is to have the self-respect and the respect of others, all work must be his/her own.
Grade Breakdown:
Journal 30%
Cultural Reflection Activity 30%
Class attendance and participation 30%
Participation in supplemental activities 10%
Journal
This assignment will require that the student reflect on his/her experience in the host country. Beyond the superficial impressions, students will be expected to consider, not only the ways in which Mexican culture differs from their own, but also the reasons why that might be. In addition, students will be expected to pose questions in their journals which will be shared with the rest of the class. This journal will focus on a specific topic determined in consultation with the professors.
Cultural Reflection
Students will engage in an activity that demonstrates an understanding of Mexico’s culture. To that end, students will prepare, in consultation with professors Rojo and Schettino, a project through which they show a significant reflection about Mexico’s culture. This project may take the form of an annotated map, a series of interviews with locals, a collection of recipes and their place in their socio-economic context, etc.
Participation
Students will be expected to attend and participate in all activities. While this course will be very enjoyable, students should not lose sight that they will be expected to work while in Mexico. This means that they will attend various lectures, performances, and class sessions. None will be optional and no one will be excused.
Housing & Transport:
Students will travel to Mexico on an international air carrier. Upon arrival in Mexico City they will transfer to a hotel via bus. In Mexico, students will travel via tour bus to various locales and make use of local public transport when necessary. Students will then return to the U.S. via international air carrier.
Classroom, Speakers & Excursions:
Throughout their stay, students will visit cultural sites, attend classes taught by Professors Schettino and Rojo, and interact with speakers from the host country. They will be responsible for taking notes, asking pertinent questions, and reflecting on what they have learned.
Calendar
Wed / 2 / Arrive in Mexico City- Dinner in Zona Rosa.
Visit to Garibaldi Square.
Read- Mariachi Music Reading
Musical Selections
Thur / 3 / Visit to Teotihuacan*
Read: selections from Teonanacatl, the wondrous mushroom
Fri / 4 / Morning- Visit Museo Nacional
Read: selections from Mexico, from Olmecs to the Aztecs
Afternoon- Visit Bellas Artes
Evening- Free (Optional Visit to Torre Latinoamericana)
Sat / 5 / Morning and Afternoon- Visit Presidential Palace (Explore Rivera’s Murals), Zocalo*, and Templo Mayor.
Evening- Class Session
Read: Selections from Broken Spears, “The Flower Tree” Nezahualcoyotl, Selections from “Seven Interpretative Essays” Mariátegui
Sun / 6 / All Day- Visit Xochimilco*
Class Session in Xochimilco
Meet with representative from Universidad Autónoma de Mexico at Xochimilco to speak to students about the role of Xochimilco in the present day and presentation of the flora and fauna of the Chinampas
Market in Xochimilco to observe typical foodstuffs
Read: Reading on the flora and fauna of Lake Texcoco and its use as food by the Aztec
Mon / 7 / Depart for Puebla
Free afternoon
Optional visit to Talavera Museum
Read: Readings about the Mexican Independence and Revolution
Selections from La Interminable Conquista de México (Rius)
Tue / 8 / Morning- Class Session
Afternoon- Visit Cholula and Market
Evening Free
Wed / 9 / Morning Class Session
Afternoon Palafoxiana Library, Museum of the Revolution
Read: Selections from the “Mexican Constitution of 1917” and “The Constitution of the United States of America”
Thur / 10 / Depart for Oaxaca, Group Dinner
Read: Selections from Oaxaca al gusto
Fri / 11 / Morning- Breakfast in the Mercado.
Afternoon Visit Monte Albán
Class Session in Monte Albán
Read: selections from Mexico, from Olmecs to the Aztecs
Sat / 12 / Visit Mitla, Local Crafts, City Center*
Meet with Teachers’ representative to discuss the Teacher’s strike in the context of Mexico’s social movements.
Read: Selections from La noche de Tlatelolco
Sun / 13 / Depart for San Cristobal de las Casas
Evening- Class Session
Read: Selections from Subcomandante Marcos’s Communiqués and The story of colors
Mon / 14 / Morning- Meet with representative of Zapatista artisans to contextualize Zapatista Movement
Afternoon- Class Session
Tue / 15 / Morning- Depart for Palenque, Visit Palenque*
Afternoon Class Session in Palenque
Read: Reading on Mayan Calendar and Jungle Poems by Carlos Pellicer and Jaime Sabines
Wed / 16 / Morning- Depart for Mérida
Free day upon arrival in Mérida
Read: “The Switch-Man” Juan José Arreola
Thu / 17 / Morning- Visit Mérida and Uxmal*
Read: Reading from Anthropologist G. Aguirre Beltrán
Fri / 18 / Morning- Travel to Valladolid
Afternoon- Visit Cenotes
Sat / 19 / Morning- Visit Chichen Itzá*
Afternoon- Class Session in Chichen Itzá
Read: Reading about geology of Yucatán and caverns
Sun / 20 / Playa del Carmen
Mon / 21 / Depart for U.S.
*Denotes UNESCO World Heritage Site.