WE ARE

We are Claudia Schurr (1967, sociologist, German) and Yves Chavan (1967, architect, Swiss).  We have lived in Oaxaca, Mexico since 1998.

Yves went to Mexico for the first time in 1986 to visit some friends he had met while studying English in London. One of his Mexican friends had become an architect and invited him to come back and work.

So, together, we decided to go to Mexico in 1997.

Although there was more than enough architectural work in Mexico City we were drawn instead to the rural areas of Mexico.  We ended up in Oaxaca which is rich with indigenous influences.  It was in Oaxaca that we founded Tierraventura in 1999.

We were enchanted by Mexico and fell in love with the country.  It has become our home.

Over the years we worked on an idea to take people to places they wouldn't see in the course of an ordinary vacation - places we consider to be the "real" Mexico.  These places take you beyond ordinary sight seeing and help you to see the sometimes hidden aspects of the culture.

Over the years we've made a lot of personal contacts in Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan; contacts which really helps make our way of touring possible.  Anyone wanting to get off the beaten path would do well to join us on one of these trips.

Our work has also become our hobby and we travel a lot to discover new places and projects in Mexico.  Yves occasionally uses his architectural skills to help developing ecotourism projects.

My biggest interest is traditional medicine.  We work with shamans and healers in many different locations and organize workshops on this fascinating subject.

Our motto is: there are no problems, only solutions.

I took a trip to Pakistan in 1990 which I will never forget.  I traveled with my mother and a Pakistani guide, Karim.  Karim helped us to see and understand his country in a very intense and personal way.  Thanks to him I had experiences and revelations which still affect me deeply.

The inspiration to start Tierraventura came from this trip.  It is exactly what I want to offer our clients: to get to know Mexico in an intense and personal way with a small group of friends.  Tierraventura intends to bring our clients to this kind of experience.