Yesterday morning, Izamal welcomed more than 150 young people from the INTI Route, a social and cultural program for young people from around the world aimed at promoting cultural exchange among its participants, as well as enrichment in the environment and social context in which the expedition takes place, informed Manuel J. Lacasa, head of the adventure.
The young people came from different countries, including Spain, Panama, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The welcome to their expedition was led by a tourist police officer, who offered them support in guiding them through the architectural sites, Mayan foundations, and structures that are the main attractions of the town.
During the welcome, the person in charge and responsible for the young people mentioned that over the next 28 days, these youths, aged between 18 and 25, from various fields of study, will explore different places on the Yucatan Peninsula.
He added that the purpose of this trip is to foster an appreciation for each place and city they visit through diverse cultures, in order to establish a foundation of solid values centered on respect. “We also seek to support them in exploring their vocations,” commented Lacasa.
Izamal Yucatan is a charming colonial town with a unique feature: it is painted in a golden yellow color reflecting the sun and the sky. Izamal was designated as the first “Pueblo Mágico” (Magical Town) in Mexico in 2002 by the Secretariat of Tourism, because of its rich historical and cultural heritage. Izamal was once a powerful religious center for the Maya civilization, and it still preserves four large pyramids that were dedicated to different deities. The most impressive one is the Temple of Kinich Kak Moo, which is the largest pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula and offers a panoramic view of the town. Izamal also has a magnificent convent, the Convent of San Antonio de Padua, which was built on top of a Maya temple and has the largest closed atrium in America.
“One of the things we aim to convey as a project is the need to care for the environment and achieve a societal evolution towards sustainable growth. To achieve this goal, we use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations (UN) as our guide,” he pointed out.
“Today we will camp in the back of the church, and we thank the municipal authorities for giving us this welcome, and the religious authorities for allowing us to establish ourselves here,” he said.
Regarding this, both the young people and the responsible person agreed that the city is very beautiful: “We had never seen a place like this, so welcoming, so peaceful. We feel a lot of peace and tranquility here, and the city being painted in a single color makes it even more beautiful,” emphasized Paty Lino.
“We have already taken photographs to keep as memories and to show our parents when we return home,” she concluded.
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