Retirees travel to Central Mexico

Every spring a group of retirees trades Yuma for a colonial city in central Mexico, spending nine days learning some Spanish and exploring the local history and culture.

This language and culture program began in Yuma four years ago. The program was extended to Yuma by John Prevost, a community college professor based in Casa Grande who has been taking retirees to Cuernavaca, Mexico, for the past 20 years.

The destination all those years has been Universal Center for Language and Social Communication, which recently celebrated its 25th year of teaching Spanish, according to Prevost. Universal specializes in teaching Spanish within its cultural context, then adding dance, history and cooking into the mix for further learning - and fun.

Although the school offers programs to students of all ages, the Taste of Mexico program caters solely to retirees.

Prevost said Cuernavaca lies 53 miles south of Mexico City and is famously known as the "City of Eternal Spring" because of its near-perfect climate. Daily tours around Cuernavaca, which was once home to conquistador Hernan Cortez, include visits to cathedrals, museums and nearby archaeological sites.

The city was given to Cortez as a reward from Spain for conquering the Aztecs. His palace still stands and remains a popular tourist destination.

Trips are also taken to Mexico City and several villages in the nearby mountains. Day trips include visits to a mountaintop village with its own pyramid and a trip to the village Taxco, which is famous for its silver jewelry.

This year's trips are scheduled in February and March. Travelers typically meet up in Phoenix and fly together to Mexico.

Prevost said the program offers daily language instruction, followed by culture classes and guided tours, which are often led by the school's on-staff historian.

Retirees can stay at hotels near the school, but Prevost said most retirees choose to stay in local homes with families hand-picked by the school.

For more information about Prevost's trips for Yuma people, call the professor at 1-520-560-0663 or send e-mail to john.prevost@centralaz.edu.