The Quetzal route was created in 1979 at the suggestion of S.M. the king of Spain. The promoter of the initiative was Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo who created this program with the objective of consolidating among the 16 and 17 year old youth the foundations of the Latin American Community of nations among all Spanish-speaking countries, including Brazil and Portugal.
It's been called for a few years Quetzal BBVA Route and maintains the origin of mixing culture and adventure. More than 8,000 young Europeans, Americans and countries like Morocco, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines and China have had the opportunity to travel and discover the human, geographical and historical dimensions of other cultures. And it is that Ruta Quetzal BBVA is a training experience in which the participants in addition to expanding their knowledge, develop a spirit of international cooperation, in order to create a new and more real scale of values, which goes beyond wealth and poverty.
It is not easy to be chosen among the expeditionaries, you have to be one of the best students in each country and also in Spain, the participants must meet a series of requirements, which are grouped in the participation bases of the contest that is presented annually.
The 2013 edition started on June 18 towards Panama to begin its adventure that will lead them to follow the footsteps of Extremadura Vasco Nuñez de Balboa in his discovery of the Pacific Ocean before moving to Europe to immerse himself in the history of King Carlos V visiting the places that marked milestones in his life in Spain and Belgium.
In this edition 225 young people from 53 different countries will enjoy 36 days of expedition in which they will live adventures and participate with their peers. Quetzal Route information can be followed through a complete page from which you can access information from social networks where information is shared.
This initiative has 34 years of history and since 1990 is declared Universal Interest Program by UNESCO and National Interest Program by the participating countries.
We wish all the participants of the 2013 edition a few days full of adventures in which they will have to combine the effort and enthusiasm to enjoy them even more. The image that illustrates the article is of a 1996 participant who indicates that the Route changed his life and the truth is that it does not surprise me because it must be a fascinating experience.
