Hello and welcome to the North American Mycological Association's prescreening questionnaire for our upcoming Regional Foray into Mexico! For this event, we are going about registration a little bit differently; please fill out form below, in full, to advance to the next step to securing your spot for this unique event.Please note: this event has a maximum capacity of 40 attendees. The basic price of this all-inclusive event is a flat rate of $2,500 U.S. for double-occupancy+ accommodations; for those members who prefer single-occupancy, the additional cost is $500 U.S.
We anticipate no more than two weeks of delay to read through everyone's responses. There will be some volunteer positions available on a first-come, first-served basis, as well a discount for those folks who are willing to commit some of their time to helping make this first-in-a-generation event happen smoothly and perfectly!
For those new to the concept of Mexico and, specifically, Mexican Mycology, it is important to know that parallel to the massive mycological movement in the U.S. and Canada in the last 100 years – a movement that NAMA has not only been a part of, but a major force in organizing nearly 100 clubs and thousands of individuals since our founding in 1959 – Mexico has simultaneously been developing its mycological infrastructure.
Mexico is now home to thousands of budding professional mycologists and students at distinguished academic institutions, with hundreds of elder scholars and a long history of professional mycology as well, not to mention taking its place as an integral part of the rising global awareness of the importance of fungi in shared global ecosystem.
However, perhaps most importantly, Mexico is home to countless linguistic groups and cultures who have preserved their Traditional Mushroom Knowledge (TMK) and still harvest mushrooms as they have for millennia. There are dozens of scholarly articles outlining just how thorough the knowledge of the indigenous people of Mexico is, and this NAMA Regional Foray will be involve a respectful balancing act between the two opposite poles for this trip: TMK on one end and the ever-evolving (and ever less expensive!) DNA-sequencing technology on the other.
The aim of this trip is to invite attendees to begin their explorations of the vast mycological knowledge and fungally rich excitement in Mexico, as well as to establish stronger ties between the communities of myco-enthusiasts and professional mycologists across the entire continent of North America.
If you are here, we imagine this is exactly what you came for!
What to Expect
This event entails a 6-day/7-night *most expenses included*; please see below) excursion that kicks off an exciting new chapter of NAMA Forays. Working closely with NAMA Culinary Committee member Zachary Hunter of The Fungivore (http://thefungivore.com), NAMA is creating a first-of-its-kind exploration into the mycology and ethno-mycological history of modern Mexico. You can view Zachary's December 2022 presentation on the Diversity, Mushrooms and Ethno-mycology of Oaxaca, Mexico presented via Zoom to MSSF here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WV1YNnQICg
We will begin our time together in Mexico City. Attendees will have all of Sunday, July 30th to arrive in the city and get oriented, with an casual group meetup the first night. The trip includes a hotel in Mexico City for the nights of July 30th and July 31st, and August 5th, as well as all meals starting Monday morning through the Saturday, August 5th's farewell dinner.
On Monday, July 31st, we officially begin our time together starting with breakfast in our hotel in Colonia Condesa, a hip and bustling neighborhood in the middle of Mexico City. We will offer a tour to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico Herbarium to learn about the current state of Mexican Mycology in the face of the DNA technology revolution; according to DNA-mapping advocate and mycologist Alan Rockefeller, almost every mushroom in Mexico is, potentially, a species new to Western science!
Upon our August 5 return to Mexico City, we will continue our exploration of Mexican Mycology by way of a special mushroom-infused dining experience (at a secret special location) and a presentation by Mexico City resident and distinguished mycologist Ireri Mentor.
On Tuesday morning, a 2-hour bus trip will bring us into the mixed-pine forests of Valle de Bravo in the State of Mexico, to Hotel Rodavento (https://www.hotelrodavento.com/), a "5-billion star hotel" nestled deep in the montane forests, for a relaxed and luxurious 4 days and 4 nights of mushroom forays, presentations, cooking demonstrations and outstanding meals, where we will joined by mycologists and enthusiasts from around Mexico and the U.S. Of course, all the usual NAMA-foray trappings will be there: mushroom ID tables, fungi-related vendors, exciting presentations, local and distant forays, and more! It is NAMA’s intention that the event will involve NAMA’s Voucher Collection Project to collect and preserve specimens for permanent accession either to a Mexican fungarium or our long-time institutional partner, The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois, where all NAMA Foray collections have resided since 1997, and we are working with relevant Mexican and U.S. authorities to iron out those details.
Please fill out the following questionnaire to initiate the process of securing your place on this trip. Please note that filling out this form is not a guarantee of attendance, but is a required step to attend.
*Please note that the cost of this trip includes ground transportation to & from Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) to our Hotel in the City, all meals, lodging, tours, forays, most activities, and workshops. Alcohol (during meals or otherwise), personal souvenirs, and optional activities such as the spa circuit, massages or archery are not included.
Please note that airfare to Mexico City is not included. Once your attendance is confirmed and you have paid, please make travel arrangements as soon as possible to be able to join us for the beginning of your trip, starting with our hotel stay on July 30th. For anyone wishing to arrive early or stay late, we will provide information on how to enjoy Mexico City on your own – truly one of the most incredible cities in the world – from 3-star cuisine to over 150 museums!
Once your payment is secured, Zachary and his assistants will be happy to help you find the best options for travel.
