After a typical Mexican breakfast with your host family, you will go on a guided, walking tour of downtown Cuernavaca. See the PALACIO DE CORTÉS, palace of the early Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez. You can also admire the beautiful architecture of the 16th Century CATEDRAL CUERNAVACA and once inside, take the stairway to the bell tower where you can catch a bird’s-eye view of Cuernavaca. Later visit the JARDÍN BORDA, the former summer home of Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota, where they mingled with early silver tycoons and Spanish aristocrats. Stroll through its beautiful gardens where you can see many luxurious fountains and duck-filled ponds. From there you will go to a church called LA IGLESIA DE GUALUPITA, and then you have the afternoon free to spend time in the square, where there are a variety of restaurants, shops, and entertainment. At leisure you can also visit the MERCADO DE LAS ARTESANIAS, where you can shop for hand-made souvenirs like colorful pottery, Mexican-style paintings, and unique silver jewelry.

After class, go to the IGLESIA DE SAN JOSÉ, a semi-gothic style church where outside you can see LA VIRGEN DEL CALVARIO, the celebrated statue of the Virgin Mary. Visit Cuernavaca’s MUSEO DE FOTOGRAFÍA where you can find many old photos of the city, its people, and the way of life in Mexico’s early years. Later venture down into the BARRANCA DE AMANALCO, one of Cuernavaca’s 7 ravines. Take a 3-kilometer walking trail through the ravine to find a variety of exotic wildlife and a streaming riverbed below. You can still see the watchtowers built by the early Spanish conquistadors to guard against Indian attacks.

After attending Spanish language courses during the day, you have the afternoon at leisure.

Today you will visit TEPOZTLÁN, a beautiful indigenous town surrounded by mountains. See LA IGLESIA DE LA NATIVIDAD, a 16th century colonial church that was a former Dominican convent. Try a typical Mexican dish at a local restaurant called LOS COLORINES, known for its fabulous food and its bright colors. Take the hiking trail up the TEPOZTECO MOUNTAIN, where you will be amazed by the panoramic view of the town and the ancient pyramid located at the very top. This mountaintop was a holy place where the early Tepozteco priests would perform religious ceremonies. Go to the market where you can buy the widest variety of arts and crafts. There is also a fresh fruit and vegetable market, offering an exotic variety of produce. After a full day of sightseeing in the picture-book town, you take a relaxing ride to your housing accommodation.

You will spend a day in MEXICO CITY, the largest city in the world. Visit the capital’s historical district and stroll through the PLAZA DE ARMAS, where you can admire the PALACIO NACIONAL and the CATHEDRAL METROPOLITANA, the oldest and largest church in Latin America. Walk through the ancient Aztec ruins to see the TEMPLO MAYOR and its pyramid remains. With luck you might see a huge crowd gathered to watch dancers perform traditional Aztec dances and ancient worship ceremonies. Lunch will be served from the balcony of the HOTEL MAGESTIC, one of the most elegant hotels in Mexico City, overlooking the plaza. Later proceed to the BELLAS ARTES museum where you can appreciate many of the famous Diego Rivera masterpieces, which give a depiction of the life of the indigenous people in Mexico when the Spanish arrived. Depart in the afternoon for Cuernavaca.

After attending Spanish language courses during the day, you have the afternoon at leisure.

After attending Spanish language courses during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After your daily Spanish grammar classes, take a tour of the MUSEO BRADY, once the home of Robert Brady, an artist who dedicated his life to collecting works of art from all over the world. After Robert’s death, he dedicated his home to the City of Cuernavaca who turned it into a museum, leaving his furniture and exhibitions exactly where he left them. You can see breath-taking pieces from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

Take a trip to TAXCO, one of the world’s most famous silver-mining towns. You will be amazed when you enter LA IGLESIA DE SANTA PRISCA, a colonial church filled with intricately carved ornamentation, covered in pure gold. For lunch, stop in at EL RESTAURANTE DE LOS ÁNGELES, where you can enjoy an exquisite Mexican dish from a third-story terrace that overlooks the picturesque town. Afterwards there is plenty of time to stroll along the cobblestone streets, visiting the many shops where local artisans are offering fine silver jewelry and other unique works of art. By the afternoon your shopping bags are full of silver goodies and souvenirs, and it is time for a relaxing ride back to Cuernavaca.

Today you will take a guided tour of the treasured archeological sites of TLATELOLCO and TEOTIHUACÁN. You feel almost teleported back in time when you walk amidst the ancient temples, just like the mighty Indian warriors and holy priests did on this land thousands of years ago. Visit the TEMPLO DE QUETZALCOATL, a temple dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of the air and wind. Climb to the top of the PYRAMID OF THE SUN, where legend says that if you touch the sparkling jewel that is embedded in its point, you will receive the pyramid’s channeled energy. It seems like you can touch the clouds on top of the PYRAMID OF THE MOON. In the afternoon there is free time to browse through the shops on the site to buy souvenirs like hand-carved Aztec statues made from solid onyx, decorative masks, and crystal figurines. Later you will eat lunch at a local restaurant serving traditional Mexican delights and then enjoy a pleasant ride to your housing accommodation in Cuernavaca.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

Today, after your Spanish grammar classes, you will go on a guided tour of XOCHICALCO, Mesoamerica’s ancient cultural city. It was at its cultural height between 650 and 900 A.D. and was one of the oldest fortresses in Middle America. The city was also an important religious center, as well as an important trading post between northern and southern indigenous cultures. On top of the mountain peak, see the pyramid dedicated to the Plumbed Serpent God whose coils surround the whole structure. Enter the observatory where at a certain period of the year the sun’s rays would refract light down the shaft of the cave, indicating to the Indian priests when their people needed to plant or harvest their crops. You can also see the legendary ball-courts of these indigenous peoples. You will also enter the MUSEO XOCHICALCO where you can see a collection or artifacts collected in the site excavation. After a full day of exploring the site, you take smooth ride back to Cuernavaca.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

You have the Saturday free.

Travel to PUEBLA, a colonial city founded in 1531 and is famous for its French-style, baroque architecture that you can admire when you visit the city’s HISTORICAL DISTRICT. See the CATHEDRAL DE PUEBLA, the city’s colonial jewel that is the second largest cathedral in Mexico, with the highest towers. Proceed to the CASA DE LAS MUÑECAS (House of the dolls), where you can see one of the most beautiful tile façades of the city. Later tour the MUSEO DE LA CIUDAD, a museum where you can see the art and life of 18th and 19th century Mexico. Also visit the CASA DEL ALFEÑIQUE, now a state museum containing a priceless exhibition of colonial and traditional clothing attire. As you stroll through the PARIAN, a local handicraft market, you will have an opportunity to buy Talavera ceramics and unique glassware, typical to the region. Puebla is also known to have some of the best kitchens in Mexico. For lunch, you will stop in at the local’s favorite restaurant where you can try some of Puebla’s most traditional dishes, famous for its Mole Poblano sauce, stuffed chili peppers, pipian, tinga, and exquisite pastries. After a day of sightseeing, it is time for a comfortable ride back to Cuernavaca.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

After attending Spanish language classes during the day, you have the afternoon free.

This is your last day in the Study Abroad Program classes. If you are new to the Spanish language, by now you will have learned enough “Survival Spanish” to communicate while traveling, eating in restaurants, and shopping in Mexico or in other Spanish-speaking countries. You will be able to carry on a simple conversation and read basic text in Spanish. If you entered the Spanish Study Abroad Program at an intermediate level, you will now be able to speak and comprehend native speakers more fluently and be able to write compositions in Spanish. You receive a nationally accredited Certificate of Completion and say “adios” to the instructors, staff, and other students at INTERCULTURAL Spanish Language School.

After school you will get to celebrate the completion of your Spanish language training by taking a 3-day, 2-night vacation to ACAPULCO (Optional). You will have the opportunity to spend days at the beach, enjoy the crystal-blue water, and work on your tan. You may also want to relax at the hotel and lay out by the pool. At night you can splurge on the freshest seafood and experience the extravagant nightlife that Acapulco has to offer.

To conclude the Spanish Program, you bid farewell to your host family and are transported to the Mexico City International Airport to board your homebound flight.