Oaxaca Itinerary
Saturday, February 20, 2010
- Arrival in Oaxaca City, get settled in hotel
Sunday, February 21, 2010
- Visit the Zapotec archaeological site of Monte Alban
- Take a walking tour of Oaxaca City, including the central plaza and near-by market
- Visit the museum at Santo Domingo
Monday, February 22, 2010
Visit a variety of agencies and institutions within Oaxaca City:
- A public school
- An organization that works with street kids or an orphanage
- The primary governmental social service agency
- A non-governmental organization that works with women.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
- Spend the day in the village of Zimatlan with CENTEOTL, an organization that works with economically poor villagers throughout the region assisting them with micro-loan programs, agricultural programs, and other forms of nonformal education.
- Centéotl “promotes sustainable development, environmental education, organizational strengthening to generate social transformation, the consolidation of cultural and humanitarian values, and the development of gender equality.”
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
- Learn about the art of Oaxacan cooking and how it is maintained and regenerated in Oaxacan cultures. Visit a market where we will learn about and gather many different kinds of foods that we will then take to a central location and learn how to prepare into tasty Oaxacan dishes through the guidance of Susana Trilling, author of the cookbook “Seasons of My Heart.” The day will end in a feast of our own making.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Learn about ways in which dominant forms of education in Oaxaca are being resisted and regenerated. Possible activities include:
- Talk with Gustavo Esteva about APPO and the teacher’s strike.
Visit UniTierra and talk more with Esteva about its origins and function as an alternative kind of schooling
- Talk with people working with village-controlled radio programming
- Talk with an indigenous film-maker and watch some of his videos.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Spend the day in the village of Teotitlan del Valle, focusing on indigenous nonformal and informal education, learning from villagers about aspects of their culture such as:
- Talk with a Zapotec language teacher about the importance of retaining indigenous languages
- Talk with members of a weaving cooperative about the knowledges associated with carding, spinning, dying, and weaving and how they learned what they know—ways in which their weaving maintain their cultures and ways in which things are changing.
- Talk with indigenous healers about their beliefs about sickness and wellness and possibly take part in a healing ceremony
- Learn about the role of women in this indigenous village and how gendered roles are maintained and changed
Saturday, February 27, 2010
- Free Day to enjoy Oaxaca. We will meet up in the evening for a farewell dinner together.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
