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EMU Mexican Communities: Ancient to Modern (Outgoing Program) Print  Share
  • Locations: Mexico City, Mexico; Veracruz, Mexico
  • Program Terms: Fall Break
  • Budget Sheets: Fall Break
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Fall Break 2026 07/01/2026 07/01/2026 10/19/2026 10/24/2026
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Language of Instruction: English Click here for a definition of this term Program Type: Faculty-Led Abroad
Field of Study: All majors are welcome, Anthropology, General Education Requirement, Honors
Program Description:

Mexican Communities: Ancient to Modern

Mexico
Course(s): ANTH 351L5, GEOG351L5, or SOCL351L5
Credits: Three
Eligibility: Open to all EMU students in good academic standing and guest students. 
Must be at least 18 years old at the time of travel. 
Program Fee:  See budget

Program Overview
This 1-week, study abroad course travels from Veracruz to Mexico City. Major themes are culture history from Pre- Columbian periods to the present, class and gender dynamics, and the impacts of free trade and climate change on rural fishing and farming communities to those in cities. Students also learn about Mexico’s major industries, educational and health systems, informal economy, transportation systems, political and judicial reforms, religious syncretism, and causes of migration. Through comparison, students better understand their own social institutions, social contexts, and cultural practices/perspectives. There are site visits with tours and lectures by the instructor, local experts, and community members. Students visit the instructor’s Gulf Coast archaeological project area, Teotihuacán (one of the largest ancient cities in the world), Cempoala (a coastal city conquered by the Aztecs and later Cortez’s staging ground for the Spanish Conquest), Tenochtitlán (the capital of the Aztec Empire), and the port town of La Antigua (from where colonial-period wealth flowed to Spain); marine and lagoon fishing cooperatives and ecologies at Salinas, the agricultural community of Rinconada, the leather craft and dairy industries in Naolinco, and a shrine to the Virgin Mary; and the cities of Veracruz (a major Mexican tourist destination and one of the world’s major commercial ports), Xalapa (the capital of the state of Veracruz, an intellectual hub, and central to the internationally acclaimed coffee industry), and Mexico City. Spanish language capabilities are not required but students are encouraged to learn and practice Spanish at any level for another layer of experience.

Instructor Information
Professor Ensor’s, PhD, research emphasizes political economic theoretical perspectives in archaeology and ethnology. Among his diverse works, he has published on political ecology and disaster vulnerability, ethnohistoric Native American kinship, and political economic analyses of lifeways and gender in prehistoric small-scale and complex societies.

On-Campus Class Meetings
This program has one mandatory class meeting prior to departure. The meeting date will be determined and announced to students accepted into the program.

Financial Aid and Scholarships
Financial aid and many EMU scholarships may be applied to the tuition and fees for this approved program. Visit the Office of Financial Aid for more information on how to use your financial aid and scholarships to help cover the costs of studying abroad.

Find information on national and EMU scholarships specifically for students that wish to study abroad on our financial aid and scholarships page.