Join us for an immersive spring break experience in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. We will be learning about how local communities in this region are dealing with an explosion of international tourists and investments. Spend a week moving between small Maya communities, coastal tourist destinations, and amenity migrant hubs, critically thinking about how the local landscape is changing and how identity in the area is utilized in these decisions. We will see how beach access has been restricted for locals, how bio-reserves compete for protection and funding, how Maya cooperatives are forging new economic paths, and how amenity migrants are living in and with the communities they now call home.
- Travel Dates: March 4–March 13, 2027
- Course Dates: February 15–March 30, 2027
- Application Deadline: November 30, 2026
- Deposit Deadline: December 2, 2026
- Earn 3. credits (3 in EE Experience/HASS)
Courses
Students must enroll in a minimum 2 credits, max 3
SS 3960 Cultural Immersion (2-3 Credits)
Cultural immersion in the Yucatan peninsula requires students to think critically about the types of development occurring there, and the impacts that development surrounding tourism and tourism-driven migration has had. Students will learn about how tourism development harnesses and changes national, regional, and indigenous identities, as well as who is in control of the narratives surrounding tourism in the region. The class will travel from small Mayan villages to mid-sized colonial cities, to rapidly developing coastal tourist spots to encounter how development and migration is impacting communities in the Yucatan on multiple scales and through multiple lenses.
Students taking the 3-credit option will be required to develop a project, collect data, and present a report 2 weeks after returning to Houghton.
Students taking the 2-credit option will be able to choose a shorter project option, and will choose 2 of the three labs while on location.
Itinerary
We will leave Houghton in vans on the morning of March 4 to catch a flight to Cancun, and return via air travel to Houghton on March 13. Once on the trip we will visit 5 locations in the Yucatan, staying up to 2 nights in each place.
| Day | Location |
|---|---|
| March 4-6 | Ek Balam |
| March 6-8 | Valladolid |
| March 8-9 | Nuevo Durango |
| March 9-11 | Tulum |
| March 11-13 | Puerto Morelos |
| March 13 | Return to Houghton |
Costs
Students pay a $900 deposit by December 2, 2026. Students then register for Spring break course credits with MTU as normal and pay the associated tuition. Tuition will include a "lab fee" of approximately $2,100. The deposit plus the lab fee covers the costs of the program and the instruction. This includes flights, transportation, lodging, activity expenses, tips, program administration, travel insurance, and an average of two meals a day while in country.
Preparation
This course will take you out of your comfort zone and into situations which are new and exciting! You should be prepared to walk several miles a day, be outside in the heat, and interact respectfully with people of different cultures. You should also come to the program with an open mind and a flexible, positive attitude—which will yield unexpected encounters and rewards while traveling!
Study Away Information
Have more questions about studying abroad? Study abroad staff can help you with your pre-departure. Here are some other resources that will help you with your visit: