CETLALIC, the most progressive Spanish language immersion school in Mexico, is located in the "City of Eternal Spring," Cuernavaca. CETLALIC offers small Spanish classes and homestays with Mexican families in a community-minded environment. We provide a place for cultural exchange with a focus on mutual understanding and social justice issues in Mexico.
Spanish classes at all levels are offered year-round, as well as several special programs throughout the year, each focused on a particular social justice topic, or area of interest, including women's issues, workers' rights , education, health care, religion, LGBT life in Mexico, and more. These programs often include travel within Mexico. We welcome all people and take pride in the diversity of age, ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity of our students. Our Spanish language immersion program is demanding, but the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. We apply Paulo Freire's methodology in our Spanish classes, where students are encouraged to contribute their insights and participate in critical analysis. Our teachers are native Spanish speakers from Mexico with professional training and extensive experience.
Spanish classes never exceed five students. We begin each morning with three hours of intensive Spanish language instruction from 9 to12, followed by a "práctica" session from 12:20 to 2:00. On rotating days we also have "round table" style discussions or speakers on a variety of national & international social justice topics. In addition, we offer various activities related to Mexican culture throughout the week such as videos, Mexican cooking classes, folk and Latin dance classes, participation in Cuernavaca's local fiestas, excursions to museums, "pueblos," and pyramids in and near Cuernavaca, and more.
CETLALIC's Spanish language immersion program is accredited by the Ministry of Public Education (State of Morelos, Mexico). CETLALIC is a small community of teachers, students and activists. Our goal is to promote dialogue between Mexico and people of other cultures and in order to reach that goal we make sure we are able to attend to the needs of every participant.
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