Oaxaca

STUDY ABROAD 2012

Contact: Lance LaVine at lavin001@umn.edu for more information

Join us for the 14^th School of Architecture Undergraduate Study Abroad program in Oaxaca Mexico. This program has provided a wonderful educational opportunity to over 200 undergrad students over its years of operation. It is the least expensive per diem study abroad opportunity in the University and one of the best. It will cost you no more to study in Oaxaca, Mexico, a UNESCO Heritage City, than it would to remain for the winter in Minnesota. This  semester long program is open to all B.S. and BDA students who have taken Design Fundamentals I and II and have completed at least one Design Studio or BDA Workshop before we go next January.

The Place:

Oaxaca is a city of 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th century churches and courtyard buildings nestled in the mountains midway between Mexico City and the Pacific coast of Mexico. Centro Historico, the part of the city that we will live and go to school in, is a pedestrian friendly environment centered by a famous square, the Zocalo, and by one of Latin America’s most famous churches, Santo Domingo. It is a city that is famous for artists including Rafino Tamayo, Rodolfo Morales, and Francisco Toledo and the crafts of the 17 surrounding tribes of indigenous peoples.  The temperature  from January to May will vary between 75-85 degrees F. for highs and 55-65 degrees F. for lows. January and February will be clear with some clouds in March and April. The New York Times regularly calls Oaxaca one of the 10 best travel destinations in the world.

Accommodations and classes:

We will stay in a hotel that is one block from the Zocalo, the central square of Oaxaca. There will be two students per room with private bath. Breakfast will be served daily at the hotel. Our classes and studios will be at the Instituto Cultural, a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Five days a week, lunch will be provided at a well known Oaxacan restaurant, Maria Bonita, midway between the Instituto and hotel.