Maize Across Cultures: Agroecology and Sustainability

Study in Mexico will take place May 11-23, 2026.*

Please note that this program includes a second eight-weeks spring semester course that will meet on campus, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:45-2:00pm.

*All travel dates are tentative and subject to international travel restrictions.

Course Title: HON-H251: Maize Across Cultures: Agroecology and Sustainability in Tlaxcala, Mexico and Indiana

Academic Director & Instructor:  Keitlyn Alcántara

Syllabus Description:

This program invites students to travel between Bloomington, Indiana and Tlaxcala, Mexico to compare two centers of agriculture with unique roots. Indiana is a corn-belt state known both for its industrial and small farmer agricultural practices but is also the site of resurgent Native-led maize reclamation projects. In Tlaxcala, Mexico, Indigenous and peasant campesinos (small-scale farmers) draw from precolonial knowledge systems to defend indigenous corn and promote agroecological farming practices. During the eight weeks on IU’s campus, students will engage in participatory learning in the Healing Garden at the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center. The garden is modeled after the Mesoamerican milpa – an agricultural and cultural system that centers biodiversity and collaborative farming practices. The IU component will allow students to become familiar with milpa farming methods, ideologies, and history before travel. During our two weeks in Tlaxcala, students will visit and participate in all stages of the milpa farm structure – learning about agroecological growing practices, solidarity economies, and alternative market networks. Through this exchange, students return with a holistic approach to sustainability that encompasses systems of environmental, economic, and social wellbeing.

Excursions in Tlaxcala will include visits to the Center for Research on Tlaxcalteca Cuisine, The Alternative Market of Tlaxcala, Templo Rojo Pinacoteca, La Españita, and San Juan Ixtenco.

Participants will stay in a centrally located hotel in Tlaxcala City. The accommodations are conveniently located near shops, restaurants, classroom space and program excursions sites.

Program Fee - $1250*

The program fee includes airport transfers in country, accommodations in Mexico, some meals, transportation to and from all excursion sites, entry fees to all museums and historical sites, student travel insurance, and administrative fees

*Program fee is subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.

IUB Tuition

If you are enrolled as a full-time student during the spring semester and enroll in HON-H251 as part of your block credits, there is no additional tuition cost to participate in Maize Across Cultures: Agroecology and Sustainability.

Additional Variable Costs

Variable costs are paid before and after you arrive in Mexico as you pay for roundtrip international airfare, some meals, snacks, personal expenses, and independent travel outside the program. 

Note: The program fee will appear on your bursar bill and is paid directly to IU. See the program fee sheet for more details.

Scholarships

All admitted program participants are awarded an automatic HIEP Hutton Honors Study Abroad Scholarship of $500 applied directly to the program fee. No separate application is required.

Additionally, applicants to Hutton Honors Study Abroad programs may be considered for additional merit and need-based scholarships. If finances will be a barrier to participating in your study abroad experience, we invite you to apply for these awards. Please submit your application no later than your program's final application deadline.

Note: Program participants are not eligible to apply for the HIEP Grant.

Please see the IU Education Abroad Office website for more information on other available scholarships and financial aid opportunities.

IU OVST Getting Started Handbook

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