Blogs from Morelos, Mexico, North America - page 5

Xochicalco is an impressive, ancient site that we visited on Tuesday. It has many pyramids and altars where they sacrificed people at least once a month (That's what happens when you don't have television). Of course, sacrificing live human beings wasn’t all there was to their culture, but that’s the memorable thing for most of us. They also were big into astronomy. Like the Mayans, they played a ball game where two teams competed to put a 7-pound rubber ball through a small loop that was about 21 feet off the ground without using their hands. We were told by the tour guide that the leader of the winning team was sacrificed to the gods. And to be sacrificed was a great honor and people went willing because they believed they would become a god or ... read more

Today we took a bus to Teotihuacan (tay-oh-tea-wa-kahn). It’s one of the most popular places to visit. We toured the ruins of a civilization that lived there 2,000 years ago, before the Aztecs. When the Aztecs came upon the ruins, hundreds of years after the people who had built them were gone, they thought they were the remains of a city of the gods, mistaking the pyramids for tombs. That’s why they named the major thoroughfare the Avenue of the Dead. The Temple of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world. It took about 15 minutes to walk up to the top. The steps are narrow and steep. Once we got to the top, the view was great. It was a long day though, and it was good to get home. Weather report: ... read more

Like elsewhere in the world, there is a choice of public and private schools in Mexico. Private schools are for those who can afford it (a few scholarships are available for those who can't) and public schools are for everyone else. But public schools are so crowded that they run on double shifts, a morning shift that's over by 1 p.m. or so and an afternoon shift that goes until 6 p.m. If you think class size in the States is a problem, classes here in public schools often average 50 students, sometimes up to 60. It's not uncommon for teachers to teach over 300 students during the course of a day. Of course, if your family is only making $3.00 a day, it's not likely your children are going to attend (they have to work ... read more

Hello everyone. Buenas Dias! I'm writing another blog to family, friends, and colleagues about my travels in Mexico. Yes, I've begun yet another journey to satisfy my wanderlust. This time I'm a participant in the "Partners in Education 2010 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad" program which is taking place in Cuernavaca, Mexico, a city one hour south of Mexico City. Many thanks to Dr. Colleen Ebacher and Dr. Ronn Pineo from Towson University for the opportunity. I arrived in Cuernavaca on Sunday, three days ago. We've been, to say the least, very busy. Generally, we start the day with Spanish language classes, break for a quick lunch at noon (they don't really have lunch here; it's more like a snack) , attend lectures/field trips until 3 p.m., go to our homestays (more on that later) for "lunch" ... read more

I spent the day in an incredible scenic little puebla about 30 minutes away from Cuernavaca called Tepoztlan. It has a reputation as a center of power-like Sedona Az so it does have an element of tourism but it’s so charming, that’s easy to overlook. The market is very Mexican with an abundance of cheap food of all kinds readily available. Around the center of town, there’s an outdoor market with lots of handmade things but also lot’s of the usual crap. I visited the little museum in town where there are many incredible pre-Columbian artifacts, and then walked the town a little more and came upon a very nice little café with an upstairs eating area with a nice view of the mountains and the pyramid on top. I actually had hibiscus tacos with guacamole, ... read more