Study Spanish in Zacatecas, Mexico

Few Foreigners Visit this Colonial Jewel

By Glenda Bullock

For a true immersion experience in a sophisticated but largely undiscovered region of Mexico consider Fenix Language Institute in Zacatecas, Mexico’s northernmost silver city, 200 miles northeast of Guadalajara and 400 miles northwest of Mexico City. Few foreigners visit this colonial jewel, though it’s a popular destination for Mexicans.

Its attractions include one of the country’s most beautiful cathedrals, an opera house, a disco bar inside a silver mine, breathtaking views from a Swiss-made cable car above the city, a 5-star hotel built around a former bullring, and several museums including a world-class art collection housed in a former monastery. In 1993 the city’s historic center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Zacatecas played a key role in Mexican history, as Arturo Dorado, who founded Fenix in 1973, delights in informing students during his afternoon lectures on local history, literature, and culture. The small classes are held in an attractive colonial building, though teachers frequently take students outside to practice their Spanish walking the winding streets of the city.

Costs are comparable to other language schools in Mexico. Two weeks (60 hours) of classes, including a homestay with a private room, run approximately $600 plus $75 for registration and materials. The school also has a branch in Dorado’s rural hometown of Chalchihuites. The city is easily reached by bus from Guadalajara or by air from Mexico City.

Contact: Ledezma 210, Zacatecas, Zac., Mexico, CP 98000; 011-52-492-922-1643, fax 011-492-922-1804; fenixmex@terra.com.mx, fenixmex.tripod.com.mx.

GLENDA BULLOCK, a former public broadcasting executive, has traveled extensively in Latin America. She has studied at nearly a dozen language schools in the Spanish-speaking world and counts Fenix among her favorites.