Veracruz and Xalapa
Discover the multiracial and multiethnic roots of Mexican culture from pre-hispanic times to the present. Based in both Xalapa and Veracruz, Mexico, this program offers an overview of the ancient indigenous cultures that first populated the Veracruz region and the Mestizo cultures that emerged in Veracruz and throughout Mexico after the Spanish conquest (indigenous, African, and immigrant peoples from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia). Veracruz is where the Olmeca, the mother culture of the Americas, first emerged 1,000 years before Christ. Two and a half millennia later the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez landed his Spanish armada in Veracruz, making the city of Veracruz the first key port of entry for African slaves in the Americas. In this program particular attention is paid to the experience of African slaves and the contributions of the Afro-Mestizo people to the shaping of the unique Veracruzano culture as manifested in music, art, and dance. You will have the opportunity to go on field trips to historical and archaeological sites throughout the state of Veracruz, including the Totonac pyramids of "El Tajin" built in AD 600, the Spanish fortress of San Juan de Ulua, and the Museum of Anthropology in the city of Xalapa.
