Hosting Students and Faculty of Hampshire College

In the course of its development process, The Patagonia Learning Center in Patagonia, Arizona hosted a ten-day visit in October 2005 by a group of twenty-three students, faculty, and one administrator from Hampshire College of Amherst, Massachusetts.

The Spirit Tree Inn, Patagonia, Arizona.

The 53-acre Spirit Tree Inn, three miles south of Patagonia, has a capacity of 25, two classrooms and a wireless Internet connection


Visiting students, faculty and administrators of Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts at the Spirit Tree Inn—-October 6-16th, 2005.

Experimenting with student yurt housing in the field:  Visiting Hampshire students plunged into the assembly process.

A huddle as the assembly process grew more complex.

Everyone was in quiet awe as the yurt began to make its presence felt.

The finished yurt is 20 feet in diameter and can house five students comfortably. Standing guard: Mandrake, the Learning Center’s mascot.