Travel to Teach: Volunteer in Mexico

Mexico is a real mixture of cultures where Spanish and Amerindian influences come together to form a fascinating country, often referred to as a traveler's paradise due its multitude of opposing personalities. From its lonely and beautiful beaches, desert landscapes, tropical and mist forests, lush mountains, vast canyons, cactus covered sierras, looming volcanoes, magnificent historical colonial cities, archeological sites of cultures such as the Maya, Olmec, and Aztec to its industrialized cities, Mexico is a huge country of great contrasts and diversity. It also contains an astonishing variety of climates and eco-systems. There are thousands of villages where the population live unchanged lives, bound by tradition, the family and fiestas where Mexicans are proud of their roots and traditions. Mexico is a hugely colorful place.

There are artisan markets selling different types of folk art made from woven fabrics, ceramics, metalwork and carvings, representing the old gods and depicting the importance of nature. White water rafting, scuba diving, surfing, horse riding, mountain biking, hiking, mountain climbing and other outdoor sports activities are available throughout the country. The realities of Mexico's social and economical poverty cannot be ingnored and this combined with its closeness to the the USA means that Mexico live with a strong need to learn the English in order to improve job opportunities. Travel to Teach has volunteer programs in Veracruz, and Oaxaca where you can get to know traditional, rural or industrial Mexico.

Places We Volunteer:

Oaxaca: San Isidro Arenal
Oaxaca is one of the richest states in Mexico, both in culture and in natural resources but in other ways its one of the poorest Our volunteer program is based in a small mountain village called San Isidro Arenal where our volunteers teach English and computers to the Chinanteco children and also help with reforestation projects. Volunteers are also welcome to help in other community work.

Veracruz: Xalapa
Xalapa, known as the city of flowers and the capital city of the state of Veracruz, is a picturesque city set in coffee-growing country. It is nestled in the hills four thousand feet above the Gulf of Mexico and an hour and a half away from the historic port city of Veracruz. Our volunteer work in Xalapa includes orphanages, working with street children, woman's groups, elderly homes, animal shelters, first aid and primary school teaching.

Mexico Facts:

General: The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery.
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Area: 1,972,550 sq km
Population: 106,202,903
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.2% male: 94% female: 90.5% (2003 est.)
Government: federal republic
Money: Mexican peso
Climate: varies from tropical to desert
Economic overview: Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal.