National Geographic Student Expeditions - Mexico’s Yucatan - High School Student Travel and Community Service Programs

The Expedition

While Europe languished in the early Dark Ages, a great civilization flourished in the jungles of Mesoamerica. In addition to building major cities of pyramids and intricate shrines, the Maya developed a complex written language, a calendar more accurate than our own, and an advanced understanding of astronomy. From the perspective of your On Assignment project, discover legendary Maya cities, and venture beyond the crowds to little-known Maya ruins. Get acquainted with today's Maya culture in rural villages, explore vast underground river systems, and discover the beautiful Caribbean coast.

MERIDA AND NORTHERN YUCATÁN
9 days. Settle into the friendly Spanish colonial city of Mérida, built on the site of the ancient Maya city of T'Hó and famous for its street music, dancing, and festivals. Take to the streets with your On Assignment teams to shoot photographs or delve into Maya culture. Practice your Spanish with Yucatecs, and spend a day volunteering with local children. Set out on excursions to Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, and explore the lesser known sites of Sayil, Labná, and Dzibilchaltún. Ready your camera—or your pen—to capture the atmosphere of the colonial town of Izamal, whose streets are lined with bright yellow homes. In rural villages where bicycle carts still provide a main form of transportation, get a glimpse of contemporary Maya life. Explore the cenotes, a vast system of interconnected limestone caverns where deep crystalline pools—pierced with rays of sunlight—offer a cool counterpoint to the tropical heat. Snorkel among the stalactites in water that shimmers with silvery cave fish.

PALENQUE, CALAKMUL, AND MAYA LOWLAND JUNGLES
6 days. National Geographic expert Christina Elson joins us in the jungles of the southern Maya lowlands. Here, we'll venture into a rain forest alive with parrots and howler monkeys, and find the temples and towering limestone pyramids of hidden Maya cities—many of them only recently discovered and still under excavation. Discover enigmatic glyphs and frescoes celebrating the great Maya rulers, and search the pediments for hidden carvings at the Temple of the Skull and the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque. Swim beneath refreshing waterfalls that tumble down from highland jungles. Spot river crocodiles on a jungle boat trip to the remote ruins of Yaxchilán and Bonampak, featured in the February 1995 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Travel deep into the wilderness to the remote and seldom visited Río Bec sites, where half-excavated temples emerge from the vine-draped jungle of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. We're likely to spot parrots, toucans, tarantulas, spider and howler monkeys, and with luck, even a jaguar. Climb spectacular Structure II at Calakmul, one of the tallest pyramids in the Maya world, for a 360-degree view of an internationally protected tropical forest stretching all the way to Guatemala. Sit in the shade of the ball court—now overgrown with strangler figs and ceiba trees—and use your imagination to reconstruct this mysterious high-stakes game, in which the losers sometimes lost their heads! Visit grand tombs and sacrificial altars, and try to decipher the glyphs on the monumental columns, or stelae, that have given archaeologists tantalizing clues into the rise—and the mysterious collapse—of this great civilization.

TULUM AND THE SIAN KA'AN BIOSPHERE RESERVE
4 days. Head for the Caribbean coast, where spectacular white-sand beaches edge a sparkling turquoise sea. Go deep into the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, and search for sea turtles, dolphins, and an array of seabirds and tropical fish. Snorkel in the Western Hemisphere's most extensive coral reef ecosystem. Explore the ancient trading outpost of Tulum, perched high on a cliff above the sea, and visit the jungle city of Cobá. During our final days, relax on the beach, body surf in gentle aquamarine breakers, and take in the Caribbean sunset as you look back on shared adventures. Present highlights from your On Assignment projects before returning to Mérida for your flight home.

While living and studying in Mexico as an undergraduate student, CHRISTINA ELSON became fascinated with archaeology. A curatorial associate at the American Museum of Natural History, she specializes in the ancient cultures of the Americas and currently investigates Aztec, Zapotec, and Maya culture. As a contributor to National Geographic magazine, Christina also keeps track of National Geographic–funded archaeological projects worldwide. Christina will join us in the southern Maya lowlands.

Choose one of these On Assignment projects. Throughout your expedition, break into teams to delve further into your selected area of focus.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Document your adventure with a series of field photography assignments. Evoke the ancient past by shooting a pyramid that rises up from the tangled jungle or a wall studded with hundreds of carved skulls. Capture the flavor of contemporary life in Yucatán, where bicycle carts and horse-drawn carriages share the roads with jeeps and classic Volkswagen® Bugs. Try your hand at nature photography on the turquoise waters of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.

ARCHAEOLOGY & ANCIENT CULTURE: Using a combination of field research, reporting, and imaginative storytelling techniques, investigate the remarkable archaeological sites of Yucatán. Become the group expert on a topic such as ancient Maya deities, ball courts, or sacrificial rituals. Or bring the ancient world to life with a feature article or a series of sketches. Make the link between the old and new by examining Maya culture of today in Yucatán's traditional small towns and vibrant cities.

Your participation in a National Geographic Student Expedition provides support to National Geographic's mission of increasing global understanding through exploration, geography education, and research.