The Maya Society of Minnesota offers regular trips to archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica led by world-class experts, typically with special lectures and tours by the archaeologists directing research at the cities we visit. See details on the upcoming trip.
Itineraries of and photos from previous MSM trips
January 3-16, 2020: Central Mexico
Join the Maya Society of Minnesota on a tour to Mexico in January 2020! Explore 5,000 years of Mexican art and history from Chalcatzingo’s early sculptures through the great artists of Teotihuacan, the Aztecs, and twentieth century artists including Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Walk in the footsteps of the Spanish military and religious leaders as you trace their incursion and settlement in central Mexico. Enjoy the varied cuisine in areas famous for their moles, cemitas, chapulines, and other delicious regional specialties. The tour starts and ends in Mexico City.
Guatemala, known as “the land of eternal spring,” is a small nation packed with thousands of years of history spread around its highly variable geography and climate. Dozens of Maya groups built cities and kingdoms in its dense northern jungles, high volcanic basins, and rift valleys, while their neighbors on the Pacific coast created some of the earliest towns and pyramids in the Americas. After the long and drawn out Spanish conquest which lasted hundreds of years longer than in Mexico, with kingdoms like the Lakandon and Itza resisting Spanish control until the end of the seventeenth century, colonial authorities in Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala City governed nearly the entirety of Central America and much of southern Mexico, leaving behind impressive administrative centers that are major tourist attractions and museums today. In this year’s trip, Maya Society of Minnesota members can choose to visit the Guatemalan highlands and Pacific Coast (March 6-16) and/or the Maya lowlands in the northern part of the country (March 16-24) with Guatemalan archaeologist Francisco Castañeda, the Maya Society’s own Dr. Brent Woodfill, and Julia Miller (Three Stone Travel).
Archaeological and Historical Sites
Tikal
Uaxactun
El Perú-Wak’a
El Mirador
Iximche
Takalik Abaj
Q’umarkaj/Utatlan
Kaminaljuyu
Naranjo (in the Valley of Guatemala)
Yaxha
Naranjo (in the Peten)
Antigua Guatemala
Other Attractions
The National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
Chiapas is one of the great undiscovered regions of Mexico full of archaeology, history, and ethnography. This year, the Maya Society of Mexico will explore massive archaeological sites in the Chiapan forests, stay in chilly colonial towns way up in the Chiapan highlands, and attend contemporary Maya festivals in vibrant Indigenous towns. Join other MSM members and tour guide Julia Miller (Three Stones Travel) for this unforgettable experience.
Archaeological Sites
La Venta
Palenque
Chinikiha
Lacanja
Bomampak
Tenam Puente
Chinkultic
Chiapa de Corzo
Izapa
Other Attractions
Las Guacamayas Eco-Lodge
San Cristóbal de las Casas
Na Balom Research Institute
Museum of Traditional Dress
El Camino de los Altos Weaving Cooperative
Zinacantan Town
Textile Museum
San Sebastián Festival at San Juan Chamula
Amber Museum
Tuxtla Museum
Soconusca Archaeological Museum
January 4-15, 2017: Northern Yucatán
This will be a very interesting trip to the Northern Lowlands. This area demonstrated important Early Pre-Classic development; the Early Classic period in the region showed modest demographics compared to the Southern Lowlands; while the Late Classic and Terminal Classic showed a cultural florescence. In part because it is the driest area of the Maya world, the northern area has unique archaeology and ecology. It stands as a remarkable reflection to the Classic Period Southern Lowlands. It tells a story of regional population disruptions and migrations. The large contemporary Maya population stands in contrast tot he abandonment of the Southern Lowlands. It is also a measure of cultural resilience.
You will spend time revisiting the Conquest and Colonial periods. In the historic and modern city of Mérida you will have glimpsed into the incredible wealth generated by sisal production. You will visit the oldest cathedral on the American continent (excluding the Caribbean). We will learn about Yucatec cuisine and culture. And we will take advantage of the opportunity to spend time with members of the archaeology faculty at the Autonomous University of the Yucatan.
In Izamal you will visit the convent where Fray Diego de Landa lived. In Maní you will see where he enacted the infamous auto de fe. You will also visit the Puuc Hills region and Uxmal. Our guide will be Dr. Tomás Gallareta Negrón. Tomás has worked at many of the sites we will visit. You will enjoy Tomás, as he is a very kind and thoughtful person.
Join the Maya Society of Minnesota on a tour to Mexico and Belize in January 2016! Explore the principal Rio Bec and Chenes sites along with many of the most important sites in Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Belize. Led by Julia Miller (Three Stones Travel)
Welcome to Catherwood Travels, the extraordinary point of departure that opens your eyes, your mind—maybe even your spirit—to more than three millennia of living Maya culture. Catherwood adventures take you off the beaten track and into direct contact with people and places only the luckiest travelers reach. Our bespoke experiences combine expert knowledge, modern comforts and refined travel in the Grand Manner, and visitors emerge enriched, exhilarated … amazed at what they’ve seen and learned. Our experts, the top guides anywhere in the region, lead you to adventure, history, culture—yet always make time for fun in the sun, the shade and in crystal-clear waters. You’ll see exuberant flora and fauna—and get ready to dine on cuisine that’s truly a feast for the senses. Whether you’re relaxing at haciendas, hiking nature reserves, exploring ancient ruins or learning about today’s vibrant Maya culture, there’s nothing else like Catherwood in the Yucatán. And quite possibly anywhere else on the planet.
Trip Highlights
Comalcalco Palenque Tonina Plan de Ayutla Piedras Negras Yaxchilan Chinikiha Pomona
Join the Maya Society of Minnesota and long-time member Dr. Brent Woodfill on a trip through the history of Guatemala. From spectacular well-known sites like Tikal and Copan to relatively unknown treasures like the Candelaria Caves and Salinas de los Nueve Cerros, we will travel through through lowland jungles and mountain valleys.
The Puuc ruins of Yucatán are the subject of this seminar tour, with special emphasis on the archaeological sites of Kiuic (www.kiuic.org), Huntichmul, Labna, and Xocnaceh where George Bey (Millsaps College), William Ringle (Davidson College) and Tomás Gallareta Negrón (INAH, Yucatán, Mexico) have conducted archaeological research in the past decade. Gallareta Negrón has also conducted field work in other sites that we will visit as Uxmal, Sayil, and Xkichmook. Many of these sites are described in the book “Incidents of Travel in Yucatán” by John Stphens and illustrarted by Frederick Catherwood, (particularly informative are the journeys to Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labná and Kiuic). During the Late and Terminal Classic Periods (600-1000 a.D.) the region reached a peak development and a particular architectural style developed in the Hill Country of Yucatan. Harry D. Pollock recorded this magnificent architecture in his book “The Puuc, a Survey of the Hill Country of Yucatan” a very important source of architectural data listing most sites in the region. There are also listed, as suggested readings, several specialized articles or book chapters related with topics of the seminar and the archaeological sites we will visit.
