Tucson, Tula & Tlaxcala
4,000 Years of Cultural Interaction

June 6–17, 2012 Cancelled

We will likely offer this program in the future; however, dates have not been set.

Travel with us to Mexico!

Discover the roots of American Southwest cultures by exploring and comparing those of central and southern Mexico from the pre-Columbian to the present day. With museum archaeologists and historians, you will trace 2,000 miles and 4,000 years of mutually enriching contact, interaction and exchange. Based in Mexico City, your eleven-day adventure features expertly guided exploration of Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Hidalgo; major archaeological sites such as Teotihuacan, Monte Alban, Mitla, and Tula; cathedrals, open-air markets, palaces, monasteries, and museums — all emphasizing the connections between central and southern Mexico and the American Southwest. Experience and enjoy all the wonderful cultural, artistic, and culinary traditions that tie the two regions and people together.

$3,250 ASM members + roundtrip market airfare Tucson-Mexico City
($500 is a tax-deductible gift to Arizona State Museum)

$3,550 non museum members + roundtrip market airfare Tucson-Mexico City
($800 is a tax-deductible gift to Arizona State Museum)

We will identify flights for group travel after February 1, 2012.

Prices are based on double occupancy rooming. If you are traveling alone, you will be paired with a fellow, same-gender traveler. Single occupancy is available for an additional $450.

Valid U.S. Passport required (U.S. Passport Card cannot be used for this trip).

See complete itinerary

See a video of the 2008 trip by participant Tom Onak

Travel with archaeologists and historians!

Your Guides

Paul Fish, Ph.D. is a curator of archaeology at Arizona State Museum and a professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. Prior to coming to ASM, he was senior archaeologist at the Museum of Northern Arizona and taught at the University of Georgia. Paul has conducted research on a wide range of archaeological cultures throughout the southwestern United States, northwest Mexico, and Brazil. His current research focuses on the political and social organization of the Hohokam in southern Arizona. He publishes widely on his field investigations, as well as on archaeological methodology.

Suzanne Fish, Ph.D. is a curator of archaeology at Arizona State Museum and professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. Suzy combines archaeological research in the southwestern United States, northwest Mexico, and Brazil with studies of ethnobotany and traditional agriculture. She has directed long-term research and published extensively on the Hohokam of southern Arizona and the Trincheras culture of Sonora, Mexico.

Michael Brescia, Ph.D. is associate curator of ethnohistory at Arizona State Museum and associate professor of history at the University of Arizona where he teaches courses on Mexico, comparative North America, and world history. He has conducted research in archives and rare book libraries in Mexico and Spain on the living legacies of Spanish water law in the southwestern United States and religious identities in colonial Mexico. He has published books that address the broader dimensions of the Mexican historical experience, including its more comparative features.

Comments from Former Participants

Neither of us anticipated the mix of camaraderie, culture, food for thought, wonderful cuisine, sights and history that characterized the trip. Our preconceptions of Mexico and Mexicans went out the window from the first day and we were transfixed, from then on, by all we saw.

I cannot say enough about the staff. The Fishes and Michael were magnificent, both in knowledge and presentation. They really went the extra distance to make the tour a memorable, pleasant experience!

You clearly identified the connections between northwest Mexican prehistory and the cultures in the American Southwest. Not having been well acquainted with Mexico's ancient cultures, the connections are new to us and compelling.

Everyone in the group benefitted immensely from your expertise and teaching patience...We greatly appreciate all you did and hope to tag along on another of your expeditions soon.

Your Host

Arizona State Museum’s scholars and extensive collections are among the most significant resources in the world for the study of Southwest peoples. Arizona State Museum is Arizona’s premier research museum, the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest (est. 1893), home of the world's largest collections of Southwest Indian pottery and Southwest Indian basketry, and a Smithsonian Institution affiliate. Your support of our programs helps us continue our work. Thank you!

The Fine Print

• Price does not include airfare.
  Price includes tourist visas, hotels, two meals a day (alcohol not included), ground transportation, honoraria, entry fees, tolls, and group gratuities.
• A valid U.S. Passport is required.
• Medical insurance not provided by ASM, the University of Arizona or University of Arizona Foundation.
• Travel insurance not provided by ASM, the University of Arizona or University of Arizona Foundation.
• You can expect to walk quite a bit each day of this trip, some may consider it strenuous.
• Bottled water is readily available at our modern hotels and on our motorcoach.
• Plenty of free time to shop!
• If you wish to fly into Mexico City from someplace other than Tucson, you are welcome to make your own arrangements.

Reserve your spot today!

Call Darlene Lizarraga at 520-626-8381 with your credit card, or print the sign-up form* and mail it, with your credit card info or a check payable to UA Foundation/ASM, to the address below. If you have questions please call or email Darlene.

Arizona State Museum
Marketing Office
PO Box 210026
Tucson AZ 85721-0026

Refund Policy

• 50% deposit due at time of reservation.
• Payment in full due no later than 90 days prior to departure.
• 100% refund possible >90 days prior to departure date.
• No refund <89 days prior to departure date; full amount becomes tax-deductible gift to ASM

Have you traveled with us on the Tucson, Tula & Tlaxcala Learning Expedition?
Please send us your feedback.

* in PDF format: requires a reader application such as Adobe Acrobat Reader

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Image Credits
Pyramid steps at Tula, Zocalo, and Coyote fresco: Dr. Paul Fish
Dr. Paul Fish and Dr. Suzy Fish: Jannelle Weakly
Dr. Michael Brescia: courtesy of Dr. Brescia