Journey to Mexico

In January of 1995 I traveled to Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico as a part of a one month long course with my undergraduate school, St. Mary's College of California. My classmates and I went to study the culture and ancient ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization.  The ancient cities of Mexico took my breath away.  As I walked through Chicen Itza, Uxmal, and Palenque, I was in awe of the beauty and majesty of the structures.  This beauty further cemented my love of Mexico, and led to me wanting to know more and more about this country and its people.

Of course, intermingled among all of the travel was dancing, festivals, and savoring the food.  As we listened to the music, something interesting happened:  When a certain type of music was played, my ears would perk up and I would dance, bob my feet, and I suddenly felt energized.  I still did not know the name of this music, however, I scoured the local music shops and purchased some CDs.


When I arrived home I told my family about my adventures, showed them pictures, and of course played my new music.  It would not be until Spring, when my friends invited me to an Oakland nightclub, that I would learn the name of my mystery mystery genre of music: I'll visit that experience in my next entry. . . .