Spanish IV Takes a Trip to the Mexican Cultural Institute

Photo credit: Ana Martinez-Lopez

As Thanksgiving break draws near, Walls Spanish students eagerly explore a sprawling 15th-century-inspired staircase with vibrant, three-story fresco backdrops that frame the entrance of the once-embassy turned cultural institute. On November 21st, 2025, Ms. Ana Martinez took both of her Spanish 4 classes to a very special location, the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, DC.

Located on 16th street, in a 20th-century mansion designed by Nathan Wyeth, the same architect who designed the West Wing of the White House. From 1921–1989, the building acted as the Mexican Embassy, but then the embassy moved to Pennsylvania Ave, and the mansion was converted into the cultural institute we see today. 

The institute is committed to communicating Mexico’s vibrant culture and history through art, and aims to enrich the relationship between the United States and Mexico. The institute acts as an artistic hub, where different artists, bands, and authors come to express themselves. The institute also features a three-story mural by Roberto Cueva del Río, which depicts tidbits of Mexican history and culture.

The mural and the altar for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) were the main attractions Martinez took her classes to see, she explained. The reason for the field trip, she says, “is to expose students to [Mexican] culture, and to the other cultures that celebrate the Day of the Dead.” 

Martinez likes going to the institute around this time of year because it lines up with her unit of study on culture and art, she explained. Her students, Lila Noti (‘28) and Ai-Quynh Matsudaira (‘28), both agree that the trip helped them to deepen their knowledge about Mexican culture. Matsudaira states, “[The trip] was beneficial because we got to experience some of the culture.” Noti furthers this by describing how she “thought the content of the field trip was really good” and how the Dia de los Muertos altar was very cool and unique. 

Ms. Martinez has been doing this field trip for all three years since she has been working at Walls. She has observed that “it has been successful, because the students learn a lot and the tour guides are really informative.”

Both Noti and Matsudaira believe that the experience was worthwhile and would recommend the trip to future classes. They feel that the content was good and accessible. “It was the right amount of time where it didn’t go on for too long, where I felt bored, but it was still enough time that I feel like I learned,” Noti explains. 

Field trips like the one taken by the Spanish 4 classes are crucial for building understanding and connections between the information taught and real-world experiences. The trip, lasting no more than 2.5 hours round trip, and consisting of a one-hour tour, helped to reinforce the lessons taught in the classroom in a fun and informative way.