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Guided field trips to nearby places of interest are arranged by the university at a small additional cost, usually 50.00 to 80.00 pesos (about $5.00 - $8.00 USD), and may be connected to your Spanish courses. A three-day trip to Mexico City is also offered for an additional cost.
Excursions usually offered include visits to:
Guadalajara historic downtown
Students visit main sights such as the Cathedral, the Palace of Government, Cabañas Institute featuring the mural made by Clemente Orozco, Mercado Libertad, etc.
Tonala
Students go to the village of Tonala, where they visit different workshops and see how the artisans perform their work.
Tequila Jalisco
Students go to the town of Tequila Jalisco, where they see the landscape where the blue agave is grown, visit an agave plantation, see how the agave is harvested and cut, and visit the brewery to see the end of the procedure.
Tlaquepaque
This delightful village was once the cradle of art crafts, and has now been absorbed by the metropolis of Guadalajara. Today it is full of art boutiques and an important pottery museum. Students will also see the traditional Mexican houses, with their inside patio now turned into restaurants and art shops.
Chapala
Lake Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico. Students have a chance to visit this magical place, so lovely that it is now the home of one of the largest American and Canadian communities in Mexico.
Guachimontones Archaeological area
A newly discovered archaeological site, less than an hour from Guadalajara, that includes several round pyramids forming circles. This discovery brought down the theory that Western Mexico did not develop an advanced pre-Hispanic culture. As complement to this cultural visit, the XVII Century Hacienda del Carmen and the Town of Teuchitlan are also visited.
Hacienda La Llave y Tepatitlan
This trip give students the opportunity to see a typical Mexican town, different from the ones usually visited by tourists. The tour begins with crossing the historical Puente Grande, the Great XVII Century bridge that linked Mexico City to the Western and Northern parts of New Spain. The first stop is the historical Calderon Bridge where Hidalgo fought his last battle during Independence war. The next visit is an XVIII Century Hacienda "La Llave," where the students will have a glimpse of rural life during the Colonial period and the XIX century. Lunch is eaten at a local country restaurant. After lunch, students visit Tepatitlan, a middle town where they have the opportunity to see what Mexican life is like in most cities far away from the million-inhabitant towns. On the way back, they enjoy the wonderful sight of the Oblatos Canyon.
Amacueca and Sayula
This trip give students the opportunity to see a typical Mexican town, different from the ones usually visited by tourists. The first stop is Amacueca, which means "place where amate (paper) is made." It is a delightful town built on a hill with cobbled streets and adobe houses with red tile roofs. The main sight is a Franciscan monastery that houses in its church one of the last altar pieces in the state of Jalisco. Students can buy the coffee and pecans (in season only) grown by the community cooperative. A day's walk from Amacueca, we get to the larger town of Sayula where we visit the Jesuit Monastery which now houses a religious art museum. Sayula is famous for the world-known Ojeda knife factory. The students visit the factory and talk to the owner. Mr. Ojeda belongs to the thirteenth generation of knife-makers. His children and grandchildren work at the factory. Among the attractions in town are the two churches, the knife museum and the Moorish arcades in the main plaza. Lunch is eaten at "La Casa de los Patios" an old country manor turned into a hotel with an excellent restaurant at really low prices.
Mexico City
This three-day trip to Mexico City, guided by a professor, gives students the opportunity to enrich their knowledge of Mexico. Mexico City is rich in history, architecture, art and culture. Students visit Mexico City historical downtown where they see the Great Aztec Temple; the National Palace where they analyze the historical Diego Rivera mural on Mexican history; and the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic church in Mexico. They also visit the Guadalupe Shrine, the second most-visited Catholic shrine (the Vatican in Rome is the first), a colonial monastery, and the Teotihuacan pyramids. On the last day, they visit the Chapultepec Castle, which houses three different museums and has been the scene of several historical episodes, and finally, they visit the National Anthropology Museum, the largest museum in Mexico and an obligatory complement to any archaeological site in Mexico or the Southwest in the United States. The cost of the Mexico City trip is $250.00 USD.
