Program Overview
This summer, Level I begins with two and a half weeks of intensive classroom instruction, six hours each day, on the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill campus so that students will learn basic Mayan grammar and usage before traveling to Yucatán for the remainder of the course. Dr. David Mora-Marin, Professor of Linguistics at UNC-CH teaches Level I at UNC. After the two and a half weeks, Level I students will travel to the colonial city of Mérida, the Puuc region, and then to the historic city of Valladolid and the nearby village of Xocen, where they will attend classes and spend time experiencing village life. During the course, Mayan scholars and anthropologists will lead trips to archaeological and colonial sites.
For too many years the Yucatán has only been known as a vacation spot teeming with beach-goers. Students in the Intensive Yucatec Maya Courses will have the unique opportunity to take a comprehensive look at the Yucatán by visiting a range of important historic and cultural locations. Trips to archeological and colonial sites, as well as other Mayan villages are led by Mayan scholars and anthropologists, who will introduce them to the cultural importance of each site. Throughout their stay in the Yucatán, students may use their free time to travel to other areas of interest.
Mérida, the beautiful capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, offers its visitors both modern and historic aspects of city life. Mérida is an excellent base from which to explore the Yucatán, close to both Caribbean beaches and Mayan archeological sites. Santa Elena is a bilingual town located in the Puuc Region, ten miles from the ruins of Uxmal. Students from both levels will be housed in small cabanas during their stay. Valladolid is a charming historic city and a wonderful place to be based. Xocen, situated twelve kilometers southeast of Valladolid and about 200 kilometers southwest of Cancún, is located in the milpa area of the Mexican state of Yucatán. Xocen is an ancient town that played a key role in the Caste War and was the original home of the Talking Cross.
