For the second time, an international volunteer camp will be held at the former convent of San Miguel Arcángel, located in the municipality of Huejotzingo. This former Franciscan convent is considered to be the first "temple-convent-fortress" built in New Spain, and was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Huejotzingo welcomes national and international volunteers to raise awareness of the importance of preserving local cultural heritage by restoring the 16th-century convent on the slopes of the Popocatepetl volcano.

The project involves collaboration with heritage management bodies in the state of Puebla, as well as with the community and academic institutions.

The town of Huejotzingo, where the monastery is located, is one of 217 municipalities in the Mexican state of Puebla, south of Mexico City. The site lies some twenty kilometers north-west of the city of Puebla, at the foot of the famous Popocatepetl volcano, a Nahuatl term that breaks down into popoca, meaning "to emit smoke", and tepetl, meaning "mountain".

Volunteers will learn and practice traditional restoration techniques, which they will apply to the restoration of a cistern, as well as to the partial cleaning of the old convent's perimeter wall and the vegetable garden inside the monastery.

They will also take part in awareness-raising activities and promote the World Heritage Education Program and its activities in local schools and surrounding communities.

In addition, in order to improve the management and promotion of World Heritage sites, they will have the opportunity to present their country's heritage to students and the local population, and will conduct a survey for the site management authorities by interviewing tourists who visit the site and members of the community.

Accommodation to be determined. Please bring a sleeping bag.

Meals will be prepared by volunteers.

During their free time, the volunteers will visit emblematic sites in the municipality and discover the gastronomic heritage of this magical place.

Please note: a passport valid for the entire duration of your stay is required! 

No specific skills are required to take part in the workcamp.

In the days following your pre-registration, the International Relations Department will contact you by e-mail to arrange a telephone conversation.

This will enable us to get to know you better and give you more details about the workcamp (organization, arrival arrangements, etc.).

You'll be able to ask us any questions you may have, and let us know what you need to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

You will then receive a roadmap summarizing all useful information about the site.

A pre-departure meeting will also be organized a few weeks before the worksite.

How to get there :

REMPART will help you organize your trip and provide you with all the information you need to book your tickets and get to the site.