Rural Studies Program of the Cemanahuac Educational Community

Buenavista de Cuellar is a village located about a 75 minute drive from Cuernavaca and is the home of the Cemanahuac Educational Community's Rural Studies Program. It is a charming small town, reflecting the serenity of decades past, with adobe walls and tiled roofs and a population of 9,000 people, nestled in an agricultural valley, just over the state line in the neighboring state of Guerrero.

It is from these rural agrarian communities that many of the immigrants to the United States come, hoping to be able to use their skills in farming and animal raising on US farms. Living and studying in this village will provide tremendous insight into the problems that force Mexicans to leave their homes to seek a better life and income for their families. Social workers can also learn about the concerns of the family members left behind in Mexico and the family dynamics when the workers return to their homes after a period of living in the United States.

Fees
All fees are determined by the specific needs of the group and the program that is developed to meet these needs. The language classes have an established registration and weekly tuition fees, but all other activities, both professional and cultural, are factored into the final reasonable fee.When the final fees are determined, they will allow for a full program, including language study, at no cost for the coordinator of the group.

 

Who Studies Spanish at Buenavista?

This educational opportunity offered through the Rural Studies Program is a unique one, for it provides a chance to participate in the same excellent Spanish language classes as those offered in Cuernavaca, but in a setting that is representative of many villages in rural Mexico. Cemanahuac established the Rural Studies Program in 1986 in response to the needs of our students, many of whom are working with immigrant populations in the United States or who wish to experience life in a small traditional Mexican village.

A fact of life in many countries, including Mexico, is that there are extreme shortages of land, and the crisis of the 21st century may well be the increasing lack of water. People from many rural areas in Mexico cannot find work, land, or water in their own areas and so migrate to cities and eventually to the United States, and people from Buenavista are no exception to this. Nevertheless, Buenavista is a relatively prosperous community, with cattle raising and production of by-products (cheese, milk, leather products) of this as primary sources of income. Many of the village's residents live and work in the United States during agricultural production periods and return to their homes for holidays or seasonal work. While this is not a primary focus for Cemanahuac, many of our students who have studied in Buenavista have found that their stay in the village provided insight into the lives and concerns of the large migrant population, giving our students a new perspective not frequently recognized or appreciated in the United States. In addition, talking with members of the family who have been "left behind" enables Cemanahuac students who have interest in these areas to develop a more complete view of the social, economic, and personal lives of the people who have been forced to choose this way of life and work. Other Cemanahuac students are preparing for work in Mexico, Central America or South America through church organizations, the Peace Corps or other government agencies from countries around the world, and still others are carrying out research as part of foundation grants or as members of NGO's. In many cases, the populations with whom these language students will be working are more similar to the people from Buenavista, rather than Mexican urban populations.

But many Rural Studies Program students are those who simply welcome a quiet way of life, where a donkey walks down the street each morning with milk cans tied on each side of the saddle, where men on horseback ride by the schoolroom windows, and where a loose goat or pig wandering along the street is a daily occurrence. They want to experience a type of lifestyle which is different from that in Cuernavaca, or, as with most students, they want to try both types of living, in both Cuernavaca and Buenavista. The families of Buenavista are conservative in nature, but they exhibit a great degree of warmth and friendliness to Cemanahuac students, and no one is ever too busy to sit in the city square and discuss the village events or upcoming fiestas, of which there are many. It is an ideal setting for high school groups, who find the slower pace of life and the emphasis on afternoon outdoor and craft activities, built around a strong language program, compatible with the goals of their study programs.

There are three assembly plants (maquiladoras) in the village, producing denim jeans for United States companies, and it is not an unusual sight to see large tractor trailer trucks pull up and unload precut pieces of denim, including the all-important little red label for the Levi company. This provides an interesting contrast to the usual view of the Mexican border maquiladoras, which are frequently accused of negatively changing family and living patterns as they exploit women and child labor. The maquiladoras in Buenavista employ many women as workers in the assembly plants, but the women are from the village; they have not moved or disrupted their family to seek employment. These maquiladoras have also brought a measure of prosperity to the village.

Spanish Language Classes

As with the program in Cuernavaca, the study program in Buenavista places heavy emphasis on speaking Spanish and developing conversational skills. Opportunities for further Spanish are available through an extensive crafts program, since the instructors of these crafts speak only Spanish. Language classes meet for four hours each weekday, and the textbooks used are the same Asi Hablamos series used at Cemanahuac. Language classes and seminars are held in the quaint schoolhouse which is typical of most of the homes in Buenavista.

All the teachers in Buenavista have had the same in-depth training in teaching the Spanish language to speakers of other languages, and they have participated in the same professional in-service programs that all Cemanahuac teachers take. The Buenavista language program is similar to and compatible with the classes offered at the Cemanahuac Educational Community in Cuernavaca, allowing students to transfer easily between the programs, according to their needs and interests, and many students spend part of their study period in Mexico in Cuernavaca and some of it in Buenavista. The weekly enrollment in Buenavista is monitored carefully to prevent there being too many students being in the village at any one time, so the spirit of the program is maintained.

The coordinator of the Rural Studies Program is Lupita Uribe. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Rural Studies Program and brings a spirit of adventure and fun to the many activities which are described below. Lupita arranges the weekly schedule of activities as well as teaches Spanish language classes. She coordinates the homestays as well as the rotations at the Rural Health Clinic.

 

 

Agricultural Programs

Buenavista subsists largely on its agricultural production. University students majoring in agriculture or professionals who are working in agriculture with Hispanic workers in the United States or Canada can request special programming to help with their needs, from understanding agricultural production methods in Mexico, to specialized vocabulary that would be helpful in their daily work. It is possible to structure a program at Buenavista specifically designed for groups of agriculturalists or a college of agriculture from the United States or Canada.

 

 

Opportunities for Allied Health Professionals

In addition to the information on natural medicine and healing noted below in the section on herbal medicine, those interested in medical practices in Mexico can observe at the excellent rural health clinic in the village. This is an ideal setting for those who are working with Spanish-speaking patients in various areas of medicine in the United states. Special vocabulary classes in medical terminology in Spanish are offered upon request.

 

Arts and Crafts in Buenavista

As with many Mexican villages, crafts play an important role in the economic life of the community. Students are encouraged to work with local people, who give classes and demonstrations (in Spanish) in the following crafts:

Leather Workshops

 

Many of the townspeople raise cattle, providing Buenavista with a large supply of leather for the local leather craftsmen. Students can learn to make hats, belts, bags, or sandals with one of the local leather workers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican Cooking

The food of Buenavista is the food of rural Mexico. Interested students learn to make the traditional recipe of their choice (e.g., tortillas, tamales, salsas, moles, cheese) in the kitchens of some of the best cooks in the village.

Above: Maria Ocampo who teaches the cooking class at her home

 

Basket Weaving
Students make baskets by weaving palms, a tradition in the neighboring village of Tlamacazapa, by working with a native of that village.

Embroidery
Home crafts for women are an important part of the Buenavista economy. Women of the community make lace and do intricate embroidery, and students can learn to make napkins, tortilla covers, and rugs.

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Other Rural Studies Program Activities

Horseback Riding
Horseback riding is usually done early in the morning when it is cooler. Students start at 7:00 a.m. and return a little before classes start at 9:00 a.m, and there is a modest fee for horse rental.

Folk Dancing
Mexican folk dance offers its unique and colorful variations to dances from various Mexican states.

Mexican Folk Songs
Traditional folk songs and corridos (narrative ballads) can be a very useful linguistic tool when sung with our local guitar teacher. Some teachers incorporate music into the class, and evening folk singing sessions are popular.

Herbal Medicine
Natural medicine and use of medicinal herbs have always been a part of village life, dating well before the coming of "modern medicine." With the current interest in herbal cures and "rain forest medicine," many students come to the Rural Studies Program to focus their afternoon studies on this type of medicine. Some of the activities that are available are listed below.

It is possible to visit to a local herbalist, who will discuss the various herbs in the area and their general uses. Students can take a three-hour hike into the surrounding hills with a local expert in medicinal plants to see and collect these in their natural environment.

It is possible to visit the home of a curandera, or healer, who will explain and demonstrate some of the methods of natural healing she follows, some of which which include the use of plants and herbs.

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Home Stay Program

Family homes where Cemanahuac students stay are comfortable, with all conveniences one might find in a city and with all meals provided. Double or single housing is available, at the same fee as that paid in Cuernavaca. All homes are within easy walking distance of the school.

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 Students can enroll for as many weeks as they would like to study at Buenavista. For students with less exposure to Latin America, it is suggested that the first week or two of study be spent in Cuernavaca to have some time for cultural adjustment. Those who have traveled previously in Latin America can spend their entire period of study in Buenavista. Those who want to enroll in Buenavista can either notify the school of this at the time of the first registration or during the week prior to the period they want to go to Buenavista. For those already at Cemanahuac, it is recommended that the interested student visit the village prior to signing up for a week or longer of study.

General Information

Mail for students at Buenavista can be addressed to the regular Cemanahuac address; it will be delivered several times a week to Buenavista.

Students who would like to participate in field study trips that originate in Cuernavaca can do so by taking a bus to join the group. They can call the school in Cuernavaca early in the week to see what field study trips will be taking place on the weekend. There are also field study trips for students which leave from Buenavista.

To get to Buenavista, Pullman de Morelos busses leave every hour or so. Students who are going to Buenavista for the week should plan to take the 3:10 bus on Sunday, and a Rural Studies representative will meet you at the bus station in the village and escort you to your family home. Maps of the village are available in the Cemanahuac office.

The streets in Buenavista are cobblestone, and you will need sturdy walking shoes. If you plan to hike in the mountains, bring hiking boots.  Be sure to bring textbooks and other supplies you will need during the time you will be in Buenavista.