I’m Lauren Hines, and I just spent three weeks in Cuernavaca, Mexico, studying Spanish. My great-grandmother spoke Spanish but didn’t pass it down to her daughter after facing years of discrimination. So learning the language that was lost in my family is important to me.

The Mexico study abroad program with the University of Minnesota and Mizzou helped me gain confidence in my Spanish and an appreciation for Mexico. I learned so much about the country’s Indigenous history and made many friends. I’ll never forget this trip. The best part was when we visited the Teotihuacan pyramids north of Mexico City.

Teotihuacan was established at the same time as Jerusalem and was the biggest city with 250,000 people in 500 A.D. The Teotihuacan people moved there from what is now Mexico City because the lava flows destroyed part of their town. Their new town became a center of commerce because it was situated near the narrowest pass through the nearby volcanoes, and merchants wanted to take the fastest route.

Teotihuacan’s biggest export was obsidian tools. The obsidian came from cooled lava flows and was great for strong, sharp tools. We got to see the temples of the Sun God and Moon God. To me, it was amazing to visit a historical site older than the Messiah.

---

Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Minnesota: Study Abroad in Mexico