#  Harvard Summer School in Mexico: First Edition Concludes  

 





August 22, 2025

 

 

   ![HSS group of students](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-08/WhatsApp%20Image%202025-07-24%20at%209.27.22%20PM%20%281%29.jpeg?itok=RXgDoIUM) 

 

This summer marked the successful launch of the [**first Harvard Summer School (HSS) program in Mexico**](https://summer.harvard.edu/study-abroad/mexico/#about-the-program), hosted by the DRCLAS Mexico Office. Over the course of eight weeks, students enrolled in *SPAN S-64: Encountering Mexico – Public Art in the Contemporary City* immersed themselves in Mexico’s vibrant artistic, cultural, and social life while advancing their Spanish language skills.

The program was co-led by **Adriana Gutiérrez**, PhD, and **María Luisa Parra**, PhD, Senior Preceptors in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard, together with Teaching Assistant **Carmen Fajardo Rojas**. It combined rigorous classroom instruction with weekly excursions to cultural, social, and artistic venues. Students engaged directly with Mexico’s complex history of public art and its intersections with politics and society, while also exploring new artistic interventions in the contemporary city. Visits to sites in Mexico City, Puebla, and Oaxaca offered opportunities to reflect on themes such as race and mestizaje, state modernization, and the role of art in shaping public life.

   ![HSS students](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-08/WhatsApp%20Image%202025-07-24%20at%209.27.23%20PM.jpeg?itok=FcrPWBJ0) 

 

As the host, the DRCLAS Mexico Office served as the bridge that made this inaugural edition possible, providing a space for classes, guest lectures, and cultural programming at its Mexico City office. Students not only strengthened their academic and linguistic skills but also experienced the daily rhythms of life in Mexico through homestays with local families.

Throughout the summer, students in the Harvard Summer School program also had the chance to connect with participants of the **DRCLAS Summer Internship Program (SIP)** through a series of joint activities. These moments of exchange fostered friendships and networks that extended beyond the classroom. The program wrapped up with a photography contest, where HSS students presented images capturing their perspectives on Mexico.

This first edition of HSS in Mexico underscored the importance of academic exchange, cultural immersion, and community building. It represents a milestone for DRCLAS Mexico in its mission to foster deeper connections between Harvard and Mexico through education, dialogue, and collaboration.

   ![Photo contest](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-08/Collage%20HSS.jpg?itok=uKYi_SId) 

 



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Cambridge ](/locations/cambridge-office)
- [ Mexico ](/locations/mexico)
- [ Mexico ](/programs-initiatives/mexico)
 
 

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