TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.   U.S. and Canadian citizens must provide proof of citizenship at the Mexican border. For U.S. citizens, this will be a passport or a birth certificate certified by the issuing agency; for Canadian citizens, a passport or birth certificate issued within Canada. Citizens of countries other than the U.S. and Canada should check with their nearest Mexican consul for entry requirements. All tourists travelling more than 25 miles into Mexico (regardless of country) must obtain a tourist card (FM-T). Tourist cards (tourist visa) may be obtained with satisfactory proof of citizenship at any Mexican Government Tourist Office or consular office, where you will also get precise information on the cost of the tourist cards. These cards are generally issued for a period of 30 days and may be renewed for additional days. If you require more than 30 days in Mexico, then you will have to ask for the number of days you need when you apply for your tourist card. We find it much easier for the student to just fill out the tourist card with the number of days (up to 180) that they wish to stay without having to re-new.  Re-newing your tourist card is expensive and a hassle. Always state that you are a tourist here in Mexico and not a student.  You won't be restricted to less than the 180 days, this way. Students who plan to stay in Mexico longer than 180 days should consult the nearest Mexican consul well in advance of their departure. Tourists should carry their travel documents (or photocopies) with them at all times while in Mexico.

MONEY.   Travelers' checks are generally accepted in Mexico's larger cities, and they are a safe way to carry cash. You may want to enter Mexico with some money already converted into pesos (for tips, airport purchases, etc.). The exchange rate has recently been hovering around 10.50 pesos to one U.S. dollar. There are numerous ATM machines in Guanajuato's downtown area, so if you have an ATM card from your local bank, you should have no difficulty making cash withdrawals. Only some ATM's allow you to withdraw money in US dollars. If you need to withdraw US dollars , use the ATM at Banamex, which is on Ave. Juarez and close to Plaza de Los Angeles..

HOW TO GET HERE.   Guanajuato is located just twenty-five minutes from León International Airport (also known as Aeropuerto del Bajío - Airport code: BJX). The easiest way to get here is to fly direct. There are international flights to León from the United States via Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Chicago. A second option is to fly to either Mexico City or Guadalajara and take a connecting flight to León. If you are participating in our homestay program, we will arrange for you to be picked up free of charge at the airport, if your stay is 2 weeks or more. If you are not participating in our homestay program, we can still pick you up for an additional charge of $37 U.S. one-way (max. two people). If three or more people need an airport pick-up at the same time, then it costs $20 U.S. per person one-way. A third, less expensive option is to fly to either Mexico City or Guadalajara and then take a bus direct to Guanajuato. The bus from Mexico City takes about 5 hours, 15 minutes; and the bus from Guadalajara about 3 hours, 45 minutes. Once again, homestay participants will be met at the bus station. Non-homestay participants can catch a cab into the downtown area for approximately US$3.

TIMEZONE.   Guanajuato is in the Central time zone and on daylight saving time (first weekend in April to last weekend in October).

WHAT KIND OF CLOTHING.   The pace of life in Guanajuato is relaxed, and comfortable clothing is the rule. Guanajuato is also a walking city, so bring comfortable, sturdy shoes. Temperatures at night can be brisk; a sweater or light jacket is advisable. During the summer months (June through August), late afternoon showers and thunderstorms are the norm, so bring an umbrella or other light rain protection gear.

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS.   Guanajuato is more than six thousand feet above sea level. Most people require a day or two to adjust to this altitude. Just take it easy (and don't drink too much alcohol!) for the first 2-3 days of your visit. As is the case everywhere in Mexico, you must exercise caution when drinking the water. Only drink bottled water and do not eat fruits or vegetables that haven't been purified (unless you can peel off the skin). Virtually all public restaurants in Guanajuato serve purified water. If you should become ill during your stay, the Institute keeps a list of local doctors (both Spanish-speaking and bilingual). In the event of serious illness, there are emergency services in Guanajuato and first-class, modern hospital facilities in León.

THE PACE OF LIFE IN GUANAJUATO.   If you're coming from the U.S. or Canada, the rhythms of Guanajuato will be different from what you're used to. Most businesses don't open until 10 a.m. (and that includes many restaurants). Mexicans generally eat a hearty breakfast (which your host family will cook for you) and their main meal of the day, the comida, is eaten between two and four o'clock in the afternoon. Many shops and businesses will close during this time. Restaurants, of course, remain open during comida, as do most banks. The city comes back to life at around five or six o'clock, and businesses remain open until about nine o'clock in the evening. Once again, restaurants are an exception, staying open until eleven or twelve at night (Guanajuato's discoteques are open even later). In Mexico, the evening meal, a light supper, is generally eaten around 9 p.m.

BUSINESS HOURS.   Banks open for business at 9 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m.; ATM machines are accessible twenty-four hours a day. The Guanajuato post office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.

PERSONAL SAFETY.   We know that personal safety has become an issue of increasing concern to foreigners visiting Mexico, and we want to stress that Guanajuato provides an extremely safe environment for visitors. Visitors are advised to exercise the same common-sense precautions they would use anywhere to protect themselves and their possessions -- that is, don't flash large amounts of money, leave personal goods unattended, or conspicuously display valuables such as jewelry, cameras, etc. That said, it is possible to walk virtually anywhere in Guanajuato's downtown area, unaccompanied, and feel safe, even after dark.

INTERNET. There are many Internet cafés with high-speed Internet access in Guanajuato. The average cost is 10 pesos per hour.

Okay, those are the things everyone coming to Guanajuato needs to know. Now, here's some information specifically for students of Instituto Miguel de Cervantes.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT AIRPORT/BUS STATION.   Upon your arrrival at Bajio Airport in Léon, you will pass through Immigration and Customs. After you collect your baggage, proceed directly into the main terminal area. Someone from your host family will be waiting for you there, or just outside the doors to the main terminal. If you are arriving at Guanajuato's central bus station, you will need to retrieve your luggage, and then look for your family at the entrance to the main terminal area. In both cases, your family will be displaying a distinctive sheet of paper with your name clearly printed on the front.

If you don't immediately see your family, don't worry. We tell our host families to arrive at the airport or bus station early, but there is always the possibility of unforeseen problems or delays. Please be patient and wait for about fifteen minutes. If after fifteen minutes your family has still not arrived, call your homestay family, their contact information will have previousley been sent to you by e-mail so you can print it. You will need to purchase a telephone card for the public phone, the phones don't accept money.  If your family does not answer, call the Institute at our main business number, (473) 732-8069 (or 473 732-8017). As soon as we receive your call, we will arrange for someone from the Institute to come directly to pick you up. Dial like this from the airport: 01-473-732-8069 or 01-473-732-8017 and like this from Guanajuato's bus station: 732-8069 or 732-8017.

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH YOUR NEW FAMILY.   You'll be able to identify your family at the airport or bus station by the aforementioned distinctive  sign with your name clearly printed on it. After you have made yourself comfortable in your new home, your family will provide you with information about how to catch the Institute's shuttle for your first day of classes. They will also help you with other local transportation should you need it. On your first day of class, we'll have more information for you about homestay do's and don'ts in the Institute's orientation leaflet.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR FIRST CLASS DAY.   On Monday mornings, new students get an orientation sheet, a map of the city of Guanajuato, and are directed with the other students to their first class.  After the first class, during the break, you can pay the balance of your course costs. At any time during the day we'll answer any further questions you might have, as well as on any other day!

We hope we've thought of everything to smooth your planning and arrival. Now, we'd like to suggest that another great way to prepare yourself is to do your own personal research. Travel guides are useful, of course. But, depending on your interests, you might also want to plan to do some additional reading about the culture and history of Mexico. You may find some of the books in the following brief (and admittedly idiosyncratic) bibliography useful and interesting as you anticipate your trip.

Brading, D. A. Miners and Merchants in Bourbon Mexico, 1763-1810. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971.

 

_____. The Origins of Mexican Nationalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.

 

_____. Prophecy and Myth in Mexican History. Cambridge: Centre of Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge, 1984.

 

Cartier-Bresson, Henri. Henri Cartier-Bresson: Mexican Notebooks, 1934-1964, trans. Michelle Beaver. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1996.

A collection of Cartier-Bresson's Mexican photographs, taken on two separate visits in 1934 and 1964.

 

Chevalier, François. Land and Society in Colonial Mexico: The Great Hacienda. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970, 1963.

A now-classic explanation of the growth of the hacienda system in Mexico.

 

Coe, Michael D. The Maya, 5th ed. Fully rev. and expanded. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1993.

 

Díaz del Castillo, Bernal. The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico, 1517-1521, edited from the only exact copy of the original manuscript (and published in Mexico) by Genaro García; translated with an introduction and notes by A. P. Maudslay; new introduction by Hugh Thomas. 1st Da Capo Press ed. New York: Da Capo Press, 1996. [There are many other editions of this title as well.]

A first-hand account of the conquest of Mexico from the point of view of the Spaniards. Particularly interesting if read in conjunction with Miguel Leon-Portilla's edited volume, The Broken Spears (see listing below).

 

Fuentes, Carlos. The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.

 

Krauze, Enrique. Mexico: Biography of Power: A History of Modern Mexico, 1810-1996, trans. Hank Heifetz. New York: Harpercollins, 1997.

A recent New York Times best-seller by an esteemed Mexican historian. The main part of the book concentrates on the period after Mexico's independence from Spain, but Krauze's introduction sketches the pertinent details of Mexico's history in the years prior to 1810.

 

Leon-Portilla, Miguel, ed. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico, with a foreword by J. Jorge Klor de Alva; translated from Nahuatl into Spanish by Angel María Garibay K.; English translation by Lysander Kemp; illustrations, adapted from original codices paintings, by Alberto Beltran. Expanded and updated ed. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.

A first-hand account of the conquest of Mexico from the point of view of the Aztecs. Particularly interesting if read in conjunction with Bernal Díaz's volume, The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico, 1517-1521 (see listing above).

 

Lewis, Oscar. The Children of Sanchez: Autobiography of a Mexican Family. New York: Random House, 1979.

The classic sociological study of a Mexican family's struggle to survive in a Mexican City barrio.

 

Paz, Octavio. The Labyrinth of Solitude: The Other Mexico, Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude, Mexico and the United States, the Philanthropic Orge. New York: Grove Press, 1985.

First published in 1950, The Labyrinth of Solitude made Paz's reputation as an important man of letters in Mexico. Paz, who died this year, later earned the Nobel Prize for Literature. The book is a meditation about the Mexican soul and Mexican history.

 

Riding, Alan. Distant Neighbors: A Portrait of the Mexicans. New York: Knopf, 1985, 1984.

Still the best general introduction to Mexico's political, social, cultural, and economic institutions. Written by a former New York Times bureau chief in Mexico City.