Chunchucmil :      The Winter 20002 trip to Chunchucmil marked the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Intercambio Cultural Maya Program. Chunchucmil was selected to host this 20th anniversary trip for several reasons. It's a fairly typical Mayan village (population 1,200) which needed assistance in building a new health clinic. In addition, Chunchucmil also provided a unique opportunity for Intercambio participants to visit a 19th century henequen hacienda located right in the village, as well as a current archeological dig in the ancient ruins nearby.

59 North Americans participated in the trip (ranging in ages from 15 through 77), and they were joined by 15 Mexicans volunteers who live elsewhere in the Yucatan peninsula.

In the clinics:   During the five working days in the medical clinic, the doctors, nurses, medical students, and translators saw more than 840 patients. At the same time, dentists treated 181 people and participants working in the eye clinic fitted 321 individuals with eyeglasses. Those working with health education visited a number of homes in the village and conducted several large group classes. The health educators trained local health workers in how to use the Spanish health guide "Donde no hay doctor" (Where There Is No Doctor).

Construction:   This year's construction project was to build and pour the foundation, floor, walls, and roof cap for a 6 room medical clinic. Volunteers from the village helped with the project. Thanks to excellent planning on the part of our Mexican host coordinator, Ramon Celis, another volunteer group from Michigan followed Intercambio into Chunchucmil 2 weeks later and finished the roof. The government of Mexico has committed to doing the finishing electrical and plumbing work and then posting a doctor in Chunchucmil to serve the village.

Cultural Exploration : After working in the village, everyone visited the archeological site of Oxkintok, where they were able to observe a medium-size, less-frequently visited set of ancient Mayan ruins. Then, all participants traveled to Merida, the colonial capital of the state of Yucatan, to take in some urban sightseeing and attend a special 20th anniversary dinner celebrating the Intercambio program.

Although there were 2 different trip endings for this year's trip, all participants were able to spend several hours touring the famous Chichen Itza ruins on their way to the Cancun airport.