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Travel programs to Chiapas and Oaxaca For 2011
Mexico, where you can find the most colorful, diverse and wonderful open markets in the world.
Pablo Neruda
For the United Theological Seminary of New Brighton, Minnesota. Twenty five Master of Divinity students, professor Cris Smith and Cloudforest board member, writer and educator, Teresa Ortiz, will come to Chiapas, Mexico, for 10 days in June, 2010 and will participate in a variety of formal presentations, indigenous community visits, and nonprofit briefings to see and hear directly the conditions and conflicts that exist in this beautiful yet contentious place on the planet.
We will be scheduling other educational travel programs for the winter of 2011. We invite you to contact us if you might be interested
in participating in one of our programs or want to work with us to design a special program for your group or organization.
February 2011 - Chiapas
Cloudforest Initiatives will be sponsoring, in January and
February of 2011, two educational/experiential travel programs to the states of
Chiapas and Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. Chiapas and Oaxaca
encompass the two most indigenous, poorest and most agrarian states in Mexico
yet they are the richest in ethnic and biological diversity. In addition, these
two states now produce the most coffee in Mexico with production coming largely
from small family producers. Furthermore, the two states in recent years have
been the scene of large, organized social movements lead by indigenous
communities demanding an end to free trade policies that divide families,
splinter communities and devastate the environment, while struggling for
greater autonomy, democracy and full recognition and participation in regional
and national life.
1) Travel Program in Chiapas, Mexico
Dates: January 15-24, 2011
Theme: Going to the Source: the Struggle for Food Security and Social Change
by the autonomous Maya communities (Zapatistas) of Chiapas, Mexico
Cost: $1150.00 This fee includes airport pick-up at Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas,
on the afternoon/evening of the 15th and air departure on the 25th, all double
occupancy lodging in tourist appropriate hotels or guest houses with two main
meals per day, all program transportation, interpretation of speakers and
presentations, honorarium for speakers, and all entrance fees for museums,
archaeological sites and park reserves. Travel program participants are
responsible for their own transportation expenses to and from Tuxtla Gutierrez,
Chiapas, and for personal expenses and purchases during the course of the
program.
Join us for an exciting and enriching travel program to hear the words and
experience the sights, tastes and smells of the movement for social change led
by the autonomous Maya
communities in Chiapas, Mexico. This travel program will focus on native
plants and seeds, markets, food preparation and recipes from the region, and
the struggle for land and food sovereignty by the people who have given the
world such foods as corn, beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash, peanuts, avocados,
cocoa and vanilla. In addition, this program will have a broad array of
presentations, visits and experiences that include the
following:
program schedule, orientation, frequent group reflections
and final debriefing/evaluation
visiting Mayas in their homes and communities for presentations about food
sovereignty
visit organized groups of artisans, weavers and open
markets
cooks/kitchen visits for food processing techniques and food
preparation demonstrations
listen to Maya presentations on community organization and their struggle for
a more peaceful, just and better world
visit autonomous Maya schools, health clinics and development projects
visit with human rights
workers, woman’s groups and nonprofits
visit with small coffee producers and co-ops that export fair trade/organic
coffee
visit an important ancient Maya archeological site
presentations from academicians and religious leaders
about regional challenges and conflict
visit a cloudforest reserve and witness the diversity of flora and
fauna
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