Instituto Cultural Oaxaca (ICO)

Students at Instituto Cultural Oaxaca study in the historic centre of Oaxaca City. The campus on Avenida Juárez has gardens where conversation groups can meet after the morning language class. The institute has taught Spanish here since 1984 and works with host families in several city neighbourhoods, including Jalatlaco and Xochimilco.

A morning course or a full immersion day

Both main programmes start with three hours of Spanish followed by an hour of conversation. The morning-only option leaves afternoons open. On the full immersion programme, the timetable runs differently from Monday to Thursday. Students return for a cultural workshop and an intercambio, a language exchange with a local speaker. Cooking, salsa, weaving and ceramics are among the workshop subjects. Friday afternoons are free on both schedules.

A placement assessment helps learners enter an appropriate group, from first-time learners through advanced speakers. Private classes offer a different way to focus on a particular skill, and the institute lists specific preparation for the DELE Spanish examinations. The school also offers Spanish for healthcare professionals. For someone dividing their time between classes and other commitments in Oaxaca, the choice between the two main programmes comes down to the afternoons: conversational practice is already part of the morning, while workshops and local language exchange belong to the longer day.