Hola a todos! Yo soy Rebeca.
I am Rebeca Lavariega, I am one of the Spanish assistants here at Willamette University this year. I am from Mexico and I was born in Oaxaca city.The name of Oaxaca comes from the Nahuatl word Huaxyacac. It’s roots are Huaxin (kind of an acacia) and Yacalt (which means a peak, edge, or top), top of the acacias. King Carlos V of Spain elevated Oaxaca to the rank of ‘City’ in 1532. Oaxaca City is located in the Southwest of Mexico, it is an enchanting city with the largest bio-diversity of the Mexican Republic.

In our state we have seven different regions with a variety of biodiversity and unique costumes; Oaxaca was the home of the ancient Zapotecs and Mixtecs people and in some regions of the state people still preserve our native languages as Zapotec and Mixtec, among others.
We have wonderful beaches scattered along the Pacific Ocean, such as the Puerto Escondido literally ‘Hidden Port’, which is a very well known place for surfing. Playa Zicatela is considered as one of the world’s best surfing breaks. It is held in the same category as pipeline in Hawaii. And it has been nicknamed ‘the Mexican Pipeline’.
Huatuco is two hours away from Puerto,and it is the other beach point with wonderful bays. Although I am from the city I have a very strong connection with Huatulco, especially since my father was born and raised there. I was taken for the first time to the beach when I was 2 months old, I loved being there and I consider the Ocean as my favorite place in the world.
Mexico is considered as one of the five countries with the highest biological diversity in the world. Mexico is a nahuatl name which means ‘In the belly button of the moon’, When I think about Mexico I always think about colors and sharing. Sharing is one of the most important gifts in life for me, and I am here to share with you not only a lot of Mexico, its language and richness, but also sharing information about your country.I want to learn all I can learn here and I want to take the best of this experience. I like meeting new people and I invite all who are interested in Mexico or Spanish to contact me.
More about me: I will start by saying that I graduated last May from College. I studied Teaching English as a Second Language and I had also minored in social work. I love animals and I do loathe things like wasting water senselessly. I love coffee and colorful necklaces. And most important of all, I am open to any thought, comment, existential question, or any complaint you would like to share with me. Eventually I will share more information about Mexico and of course Oaxaca. Maybe one day you can come and visit me!