Veracruz

When: February 22 - March 4, 2007

Where: Mexico

How much: $2,695 ($295 single supplement)

 

 

Join us in Veracruz, Mexico's oldest port city, for an exciting look at the Olmec, Totonac, Huastec, Aztec and Spanish cultures that have dominated the region for thousands of years. Nestled in a tropical paradise, lost cities, unique architecture, and archaeological sites that defy current cultural classification await our arrival.

Joining us will be Dr. John Henderson, noted scholar on the Maya and professor of anthropology at Cornell University.

Thursday, February 22
Join us in Veracruz for a welcome reception at the Crowne Plaza Torremar Resort beach hotel, where we'll spend the next two evenings.

Friday, February 23
We'll explore the city of Veracruz, founded in the early 1500s after Hernán Cortés landed at Villa Rica just north of the city. We'll also visit the Castillo de San Juan de Ulúa, a massive Spanish fort constructed beginning in the 1530s.

Saturday, February 24
In the morning we'll see La Antigua, the original site of the city of Veracruz, as well as Villa Rica, the probable landing site of Cortés in 1519. In the afternoon we'll visit the Jalapa museum, which contains the world's best Olmec collection. We'll spend the next two evenings at the Fiesta Inn in Jalapa.

Sunday, February 25
We'll travel to Cantona, which was occupied from 100 B.C. With a population of 40,000, Cantona flourished following the collapse of Teotihuacán, and may have affected Teotihuacán's access to the Gulf Coast. The site contains 24 ballcourts and almost 3,000 residential terraces.

Monday, February 26
At Zempoala, a Totonac site dating from A.D. 1000, we'll view a cluster of pyramids and unusual circular structures. We'll visit Quiahuiztlan, a Totonac site with Toltec-style features dating to around A.D. 1300. We'll spend two evenings in the bustling commercial center of Poza Rica.

Tuesday, February 27
We'll visit El Tajin, the famous Totonac capital occupied between A.D. 500 and 1200. Containing 17 ballcourts and a number of pyramids and structures, the early constructions feature distinctive Teotihuacán-style influences that include frets, scrolls, and images of Quetzalcoatl.

Wednesday, February 28
We'll visit the Late-Huastec/Post-Classic Castillo de Teayo, constructed around A.D. 1300 and occupied until historic times. We'll return to Veracruz and spend the evening at the Crowne Plaza Torremar Resort Hotel.

Thursday, March 1
We'll visit Tres Zapotes, where the first Olmec colossal heads were discovered in 1869. Without an archaeological context to classify these unusual stone carvings, there was much speculation in the late 1800s about an African origin. Matthew Stirling's pioneering work in 1939 demonstrated that Tres Zapotes was occupied from about 500 B.C. until A.D. 200, at the end of the Olmec period and into the transition period from Olmec to Maya. We'll also visit the museum at Santiago Tuxtla. We'll travel south to Acayucan where we'll spend the next two evenings.

Friday, March 2
We'll tour the Olmec center of San Lorenzo, which dominated the region from 1200 to 900 B.C. and was first excavated by Stirling in 1945.

Saturday, March 3
On our way to Villahermosa, we'll explore the Olmec site of La Venta, which was first occupied before 600 B.C. In Villahermosa we'll visit the Parque-Museo La Venta, a magnificent outdoor sculpture garden that displays some of La Venta's most significant artifacts. We'll spend the evening in Villahermosa.

Sunday, March 4
Participants depart for home from Villahermosa.

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