Embedded program allows students to explore Maya sites in Belize and Guatemala

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Over spring break, a group of Penn State students traveled to Belize and Guatemala through ANTH 299: Exploring the Ancient Maya World, one of three embedded programs offered this spring by the College of the Liberal Arts.

Under the direction of Associate Teaching Professor of Anthropology Erick Rochette and Assistant Teaching Professor of English Matthew Rockmore, students spent the week exploring ancient Maya culture by visiting archaeological sites and interacting with the local people.

Rochette said he was particularly excited to lead his students through Central America given he had visited before during his undergraduate years at Boston University.

“I can show you all the images in the world about what Belize and Guatemala looked like, but until you’re in the heat and humidity there and understand the need for salt, it starts to give you a real feel of the place these ancestral Mayan people would have lived,” Rochette said.

The group’s “dream itinerary” consisted of visiting the archaeological sites of Caracol in the Maya Mountains, Xunantunich and Cahal Pech in Belize. Additionally, they were able to tour the powerful site of Tikal in Guatemala, a major urban center of the Maya civilization during the Classic period (250–900 CE).

To unwind from their studying of ancient Maya lifeways, art and architecture, the group took time to relax at a tropical beach along the Belizean coast.

Jack Meyer, a fourth-year student double majoring in anthropology and international politics and double minoring in psychology and crime, law, and psychology, isn’t new to Liberal Arts’ education abroad opportunities. His interest in Maya culture also extends beyond the classroom — he won first place in the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council’s “50 Years of Voices” art contest earlier this year for a piece translating the "Penn State Alma Mater" into Maya hieroglyphs.

Last summer, he spent three weeks in Egypt through a Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies’ faculty-led program, visiting archaeological sites and engaging with Egyptian culture.

Meyer said he decided to participate in ANTH 299 due to his interest in Mesoamerican culture. This love sprouted from taking a Maya, Inca and Aztec architecture course with Professor of Art History and Anthropology Amara Solari.

“I have taken all the Mesoamerican courses Penn State has to offer, so when I saw that they had a trip to see some of these sites I had been studying I jumped on it right away,” Meyer said.

Meyer said being able to see firsthand what he had been studying and hearing Maya stories directly from locals enriched his studies in anthropology. He also was able to apply his years of Spanish courses when navigating through Guatemala, which he believes will serve him well when he begins studying immigration law at New England Law Boston in August.

In addition to archaeological sites, the group stayed in San Ignacio and Dangriga, Belize and the island town of Flores, Guatemala, where they were able to experience life in a variety of Central American locales. In Belize, they had the chance to meet members of the San Antonio Women’s Cooperative, which gives economic and cultural outreach opportunities to Indigenous Maya women in western Belize who have experienced difficulty finding gainful employment. Through the cooperative, the women produce traditional crafts, which allows them to maintain cultural traditions while pursuing economic opportunities. As part of the visit, the group also learned about Maya foodways while making tamales and tortillas using traditional techniques.

For Meyer, the pinnacle of his experience was when the group visited Tikal.

“It’s been on my bucket list since I was a little kid,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go, so that was a very special day for me.”

Financial support proved vital for Meyer and other trip participants. Enrichment funding from the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network and other pools of financial aid significantly eased the cost of attending, he said.

“I’m grateful for any amount willing to be given; every little bit helps,” he said.

As his undergraduate career comes to an end in May, Meyer said he is especially thankful for the education abroad programs he’s participated in.

“Education abroad programs have allowed me to have a more well-rounded education,” he said. “You can spend years studying something, in my case archaeology, and learn little in comparison to what you can gain by studying abroad. My time abroad has been a highlight of not only my studies, but my life. There is no substitute to real-world experience, and Penn State makes it accessible by offering a variety of programs and support.”