Our time in Mexico will be spent in the lovely state of Chiapas. Its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez, though we will be staying in San Cristobal de Las Casas. Chiapas population is around 3.41 Million and is the southernmost state, sharing a boarder with Guatemala. One of the most interesting things about Chiapas is that it is home to one of the Largest indigenous populations in the country, with 12 federally recognized ethnicity's. The state is very rich in natural resources yet they find that they have a majority living below the poverty line. San Cristobal, where we will be staying, maintains a very strong indigenous identity and in fact the students that we will be working with while we are there have indigenous backgrounds.
San Cristobal de las Casas is located in the Central Highlands region of Chiapas and was the capital until 1892 when it was switched over to Tuxtla Gutierrez. San Cristobal is still cherished as the cultural capital of Chiapas and was first founded in 1528 but gained municipal status in 1915. This beautiful city sits in a small valley surrounded by hills with subtropical highland climate that is moderated by its altitude. San Cristobal is also where UNICH is located. UNICH is the university we will be working with to create the projects that are described under the projects tab.
UNICH stands for Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas. It is a public higher education institution but its student population is mostly made of of indigenous descendents. The students we will be working with are about 90% Tzeltal, Tsotsil and Chol, and the remaining 10% are Mestizo/Ladinos. The school is fairly new, only having been established in December of 2004. The students at this university are able to choose from four degrees, Language and Culture, Sustainable development, Alternative Tourism, and Intercultural studies. We are all very excited to work with the students and get to know the culture of the Chiapas area. To see more about what we will be doing while we are there, see the projects page.
San Cristobal de las Casas is located in the Central Highlands region of Chiapas and was the capital until 1892 when it was switched over to Tuxtla Gutierrez. San Cristobal is still cherished as the cultural capital of Chiapas and was first founded in 1528 but gained municipal status in 1915. This beautiful city sits in a small valley surrounded by hills with subtropical highland climate that is moderated by its altitude. San Cristobal is also where UNICH is located. UNICH is the university we will be working with to create the projects that are described under the projects tab.
UNICH stands for Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas. It is a public higher education institution but its student population is mostly made of of indigenous descendents. The students we will be working with are about 90% Tzeltal, Tsotsil and Chol, and the remaining 10% are Mestizo/Ladinos. The school is fairly new, only having been established in December of 2004. The students at this university are able to choose from four degrees, Language and Culture, Sustainable development, Alternative Tourism, and Intercultural studies. We are all very excited to work with the students and get to know the culture of the Chiapas area. To see more about what we will be doing while we are there, see the projects page.