College sponsors spring study abroad to Guatemala

CMC offers opportunity for learning about art, politics – registration deadline approaches


CMC Associate Professor Bob Gumbrecht (left), pictured with students at the site of an active volcano during a fall 2007 trip to Nicaragua, has led study abroad trips with a focus on human rights for the past four years.
CMC Associate Professor Bob Gumbrecht (left), pictured with students at the site of an active volcano during a fall 2007 trip to Nicaragua, has led study abroad trips with a focus on human rights for the past four years.

Adventurous, travel-loving community members are invited to join Colorado Mountain College students and professors for a nine-day study abroad trip to north-central Guatemala in early March.

Participants will study human rights and indigenous culture in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala. Organizer Bob Gumbrecht, a CMC associate professor who teaches political science and geography, said the class offers a unique opportunity to visit the beautiful country with translators on a fully guided trip with a focus on art, political science and the rich history of the Mayan culture.

Students on the trip, scheduled for March 5-14, will explore Guatemalan weaving, painting, pottery and architecture in the context of the country’s tumultuous political and social history. Highlights will include visits to major art museums and meetings with artists; a visit to a noted textile museum and talks with weavers; talks with political and cultural figures about human rights, civil war and social justice; and time to visit local markets and see the country.
The itinerary includes outings to several cities and a two-day visit to Tikal including the well-preserved ancient Mayan ruins at Tikal National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The instructors and trip leaders for the Guatemala: Art and Resistance class are full-time professors Gumbrecht and Cynthia Zyzda, associate professor of visual arts and humanities.

The course includes four classes on Feb. 12, 19 and 26 and April 2, which will be accessible at learning sites throughout the Colorado Mountain College district via CMC’s distance learning technology.

Those who register for the class can earn six college credits in art and political science. Trip registration is refundable through Nov. 30 and is required and nonrefundable by Dec. 11. The group will be capped at 20 participants. A payment plan is also available through the college. To find out more, contact Gumbrecht at 970-870-4484 or rgumbrecht@coloradomtn.edu or Zyzda at 970-870-4432 or czyzda@coloradomtn.edu.

The college is also offering a spring-semester study abroad program in Spain, for either three weeks or three months. Though the class starts in February, the registration deadline is rapidly approaching. For more information, contact professor Mary Ebuna at 719-486-4224 or mebuna@coloradomtn.edu.