Volunteer Mexico: Xalapa

Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly known as Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 140km west of the port of Veracruz in a mountainous region with average year-round temperatures of around 18°C (64.4°F). This city is great for the culture vultures amongst us and a fantastic place for groups of volunteers.

The city, known for its eclectic architectural offerings, has buildings that are a blend of Neoclassic, Moorish and Neogothic styles, as you’ll see in such edifices as the Palacio de Gobierno, the Palacio Municipal, and the Cathedral. As you walk along the cobblestone streets you’ll also come across interesting attractions like the Xalapa Anthropology Museum, one of the nation’s most important museums. There you can see an important collection of archaeological pieces from the Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec cultures, communities that inhabited the region during the pre-hispanic era.

Thanks to its rich cultural heritage, Xalapa hosts important artistic and cultural events, such as the International Jazz Festival and the June Music Festival, which is organized by the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra. The city also offers various food festivals and restaurants where you can delight in delicious regional cuisine.

If you are a fan of traditional Mexican food, Xalapa is the place for you; offering dozens of restaurants selling the best tacos covered in the traditional local mole (chocolate and chili) sauce.

Volunteer Projects in Xalapa

Foster homes

Our volunteers work with three local foster homes in the Xalapa area. One is actually a halfway house for runaways or child workers and it houses around fifteen young boys. One is a foster home that currently houses twenty-one young girls from ages of 2 to 18, and the other is an all boys foster home on the outskirts of the city. Our volunteers teach English, Painting, Dancing and other recreational activities that they feel they can organise during the afternoons. We strongly encourage volunteers to help with tutoring in a variety of different educational subjects.

Schools

Our volunteers can also choose to teach English in various Kindergartens, and Primary and Secondary schools around Xalapa and on the outskirts of the city. English has been part of the public education program for many years but only at the secondary and preparatory levels, the English that is taught is quite basic. Through these programs Travel to Teach hopes to be able to give the children a head start with their future education and also open doors for future employment.

Teacher Training

Our volunteers can also choose to teach local teachers English pronunciation and English grammar to help sustain a good level of English teaching after we’ve left. We teach and help the teachers in neglected areas of Xalapa, usually on the outskirts of the city and also in an inner city evening school for workers.

Special Needs Children

This is Travel to Teach Mexico’s newest project. Our volunteers work with an art school for children with special needs. We work alongside the teachers in various art classes, which offer painting, ceramics, photography, theatre and even IT. These types of schools are not common for children with special needs in Mexico, so they need all the support they can get in order to keep things running. All of our volunteers are welcome to join in these classes.

Alongside the teaching for special needs children, we also work with a big brother/sister weekend program. This is an extra and volunteers can choose to take part in this program if they wish to do so however, some volunteers may wish to have their weekends free. Part of the program is to take the children out and encourage them to use their social skills in normal everyday situations and activities around the city and to try and integrate the children into society and to play with other non special needs children at the local parks.

General Xalapa Info

Where Will I Stay?

In Xalapa our volunteers stay in the Travel to Teach volunteer house in central of Xalapa.

The Travel to Teach volunteer is made up of three bedrooms, three bathrooms, three communal areas; a large spacious kitchen, dining room and living room, with a perfect place to sunbath on the roof of the house. The house is located in a private plaza set back off from the main street and is away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is very safe. Depending on the number of placements at any given time, volunteers may have their own room, of course they may also have to share a room with other volunteers if the program is very busy.

The volunteer house is very accessible and our volunteers can easily walk to and from the city’s center, as well as explore the local streets where they will find a plethora of eateries, tienditas (little shops), markets, pharmacies, bread shops, and cheese shops...the list is endless!

Food

Xalapa has a plethora of traditional Mexican restaurants, street food stalls, and two very good Italian restaurants, one of which is within close walking distance to the volunteer house. If you choose to stay with our Xalapa host family instead of at the volunteer house, then three meals will be provided for you per day, Monday-Friday.

If you ever need your junk food fix the city does have a Burger King and a Subway (fast food sandwiches). Just outside of the city center, a taxi distance away at a cost of approximately 20 pesos, there is a large shopping mall with lots of fast food restaurants as well. Additionally, there are supermarkets and markets within the city where you can buy good fresh food should you wish to cook for yourself at the volunteer house.

Weather

The climate in Xalapa is semi-humid, but the city is relatively cool being located in the mountains over 1400 metres above sea level. The climate can be variable, having a maximum temperature of 37°C (98°F) and a minimum ranging from 0°C (32°F) to 10 °C (50°C). On average the temperature does not fluctuate greatly all year round with an average annual temperature of 18°C (64.4°F).

The warmer season in Xalapa tends to fall between March and reaching a peak in May when the average high reaches 28 °C (82.4°F) and low of 17°C (62°F). The cooler season is late December, January and February with an average low of 11°C (52°F) and an average high of 22°C (71.6°F). The rainy season where we recommend for our volunteers to bring a rain Mack, a pair of Wellington boots and an umbrella, usually falls between May and July, but can sometimes extend into the months August and September.

Free Time

There are lots of things to do on weekends or in your spare time either in Xalapa or the surrounding areas.

There are a seemingly endless selection of restaurants, eateries, taquerias, sushi restaurants, ice cream vendors, and sandwich shops throughout the city - so if you love to dine, Xalapa is the place for you!

Also, there are a plethora of gyms and workout facilities throughout the city that provide anything from yoga and pilates classes, to Muay Thai boxing, spinning classes, and salsa-based exercise classes. For those who simply enjoy an occasional jog or run, locals tend to go to Los Lagos (the lakes) - which are but a short 10-15 minute walk from the dorm or home-stay house. There are five man-made lakes in a row that offer beautiful views and a very comfortable running environment. There are also several public basketball courts, football (or soccer) fields, and tennis courts which are mostly located on the university campus where volunteers can go to play their game of choice - locals are generally very willing to join in a game as well!

For those that like to shop there are a variety of markets, malls and shops, that offer everything from the latest fashions to locally produced goods. The Callejon de Diamantes (alleyway of Diamonds - although they don’t sell any) is a hub for local artisans, where you can find all sorts of locally produced crafts. The night life in Xalapa is fantastic and the city has a wide variety of bars, clubs and cantinas to choose from. You can enjoy a ceveza or two whilst you listen to the live bands and local music.

There are several nearby towns and beauty spots to visit at the weekend’s, for example Veracruz’s beaches which are only an hour and a half away where you can top up your tan. The town of Coatapec is less than an hour away and offers great markets, shopping, and restaurants and the beautiful picturesque town of Xico is just past Coatepec and is known for it’s beautiful waterfalls and is the best local town to buy hand made cowboy boots. It is definitely worth the trip!

Where Is?/ Getting To Xalapa

Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly known as Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is situated in eastern-central Mexico, approximately 55 miles (90 km) northwest of Veracruz city and roughly 350 kilometres from Mexico City.

The city of Xalapa is located beneath the volcanic peaks of the Sierra Madre Oriental, at an elevation that oscillates from 1400 metres to 1700 metres above sea level, and is surrounded in lush tropical vegetation.

We at Travel to Teach recommend the ADO or OCC Premier or Executivo buses from Mexico City airport to Xalapa. The journey usually takes from around four to five hours without any stops and these buses have an onboard toilet, reclining chairs and on board movies, although they’re usually in Spanish!

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