Professional Development Center at The University of Texas at Austin Presents Travel and Lecture Tour in Guatemala

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Development Center (PDC) at The University of Texas at Austin is proud to announce an exciting travel and educational expedition to Guatemala. On October 3-7, PDC hosts "Tour of Guatemala," a cultural journey from Austin to Antigua that includes a series of lectures and tours covering the culture, history and architecture of the region. UT PDC is an enterprise of the university's Division of Continuing and Innovative Education.

"I'm so proud to offer this unique opportunity for both students and travelers to join us on this one-of-a-kind educational tour to historic Antigua, Guatemala and the surrounding area," says Liliya Spinazzola, director of the Professional Development Center. "This offering allows participants to truly experience the rich culture and history of this Latin American region. It's one thing to be a tourist, it's quite another to visit a foreign country side-by-side with world-class educators and experts to add depth to the experience."

This tour is based at Casa Herrera, a fully restored 17th century Spanish Colonial property located in the heart of Antigua. The Casa is operated by the Mesoamerica Center, a program of the university's Department of Art and Art History in the College of Fine Arts.

The extensive agenda for "Tour of Guatemala" includes:

• Walking Tour of Antigua with author Elizabeth Bell. Visit the City Hall Palace, Palace of the Captain's General, and the majestic ruins found in the Paseo de los Museos.
• Coffee plantation tour and tasting at Finca Filadelfia, one of the oldest and most established coffee estates in Guatemala.
• History of Religion/Current Religious Practices lecture and tour of the historic Iglesia de San Francisco cathedral.
• Archeology and Glyphs lecture and field trip to Iximche Archaeological Park.
• Expedition to the Chichicastenango Market to explore textiles and handicrafts unique to Guatemalan artisans.
• Volcano Climb at Pacaya Volcano National Park.

Registration for Tour of Guatemala, including hotel accommodations and most meals, costs $875 and is open at http://www.utexas.edu/ce/pdc//antigua-guatemala-tour/ or by calling 512-232-2234. Airfare is not included.

Please visit our website to view a video and photo gallery from the first Tour of Guatemala with interviews from participants and coordinators: http://www.utexas.edu/ce/stories/detail/cie-hosts-tour-guatemala.

For more information, contact Maureen Schwartz at (512) 232-2234 or [email protected].

About the Professional Development Center:

The Professional Development Center (PDC), an enterprise of the Division of Continuing and Innovative Education at The University of Texas at Austin, provides innovative and agile continuing education learning solutions that maximize professional performance. PDC offers a wide range of programs and courses designed to help individuals and organizations around the world improve personal, professional and organizational performance. To meet this goal, PDC offers high quality non-credit courses, professional certificate programs, consulting, coaching, and facilitation services, both online and on the university campus. http://www.utexas.edu/ce/pdc/

Contact: Maureen Schwartz, Professional Development Center, The University of Texas at Austin, (512) 232-2234, [email protected]

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SOURCE Professional Development Center