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Mexico Celebrates Day of the Dead
offered by supplier M07706 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 10
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 16
people
Destination(s):
Mexico
Specialty Categories:
Archeology/History
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 2300 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2900 US Dollar (USD)
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Just about one hour drive from the city you will have the chance to explore the amazing archaeological site of Teotihuacan. The tour will carry on to beautiful Oaxaca with more sites to explore. Further highlights on this journey will be the great Zapotec city of Monte Alban, visiting the monuments and palaces of Puebla and the Church on top of the main pyramid in Cholula before returning back to Mexico City.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
ARRIVE MEXICO CITY
Tour members will be met and transferred to the Hotel La Casona. An evening orientation session to meet your guide and travel companions and prepare you for the adventures to come.
(D)
Day 2:
MEXICO CITY
After breakfast, we will enjoy a leisurely walk through Mexico City's Zocalo, the largest colonial plaza in the Americas and visit some of the more prominent buildings such as the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palace of the Mineria. We will also visit the remarkable remains of Tenochtitlan - a legendary city of the Mexicas ( Aztecs )- that emerged like a phoenix during excavations for a new metro line. We will drive along the Paseo de Reforma, the city's main boulevard that was commissioned by the hapless Emperor Maximilian, to famous Chapultepec Park. Though popular with tourists, Chapultepec Park is a green space Mexicans have unequivocally staked as their own. An extension, annexed by a former president, has recently been returned for public use. It is a traditional place for the family picnics, lover's walks and children's play. See Chapultepec Castle. Lunch at the magnificent National Museum of Anthropology and History, itself an impressive work of modern architecture. The musem houses many spectacular displays and some of the most exquisite artifacts recovered from many of the Pre-Columbian sites we will visit on our coming journey. Our visit serves as a wonderful overview of the Pre-Columbian world, and provides an introduction to the great civilizations - Teotihuacan, Mexica, Toltec, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Maya-that will figure prominently in the weeks to come.
Dinner at the Hacienda de los Morales.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 3:
MIXQUIC- XOCHIMILCO- COYOACAN
A stop at the Parish of San Bernardino with its beautiful exterior, and an interior which houses one of the most ancient and best-preserved altarpieces in the Americas. Many of the city's flowers are grown here. It is criss-crossed with canals that date back to Aztec times. We will navigate through the channels on flat boats called trajineras. A sense of excitement accompanies the smaller vessels carrying floating groups of musicians and vendors of succulent snacks, which join visitors as they drift along the innumerable canals in the shade of towering cypress trees.
In the celebrations prior to the Day of the Dead, we can admire the special flowers grown for these festivities for the dead, the Tzempazuchiles (marigolds), which fill all the flower shops of Xochimilco.
We will visit the Frida Kahlo Museum, known as the Casa Azul. This was Frida's childhood home before she married the famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera and it houses Frida's early artwork and the home's original furniture. Your guide will be a docent who is specialized in Frida Kahlo lore. Lunch at the San Angel Inn, a colonial style restaurant and historic landmark, was often frequented by Frida Kahlo. Built in 1692, it was known as the "Hacienda de los Goycochea". Within its walls, the famous pact by which Pancho Villa would gain control of the North and General Zapata of the South of Mexico was formalized. Afterwards, visit the Museo Casa-Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, where Frida and Diego lived and worked during their marriage.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 4:
BASILICA DE GUADALUPE- TEOTIHUACAN - OAXACA
We begin the journey that will take us through the Mesoamerican heartland and eventually to the ends of the Maya universe. After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive the short distance to Teotihucan. Enroute we will stop at the Shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico where millions of Mexicans make religious pilgrimages every year. At the monastery of Acolman, we will learn of the "Utopia" the colonial monks dreamed of for themselves and Mexico's indigenous population. Spectacular Teotihuacan is also no stranger for pilgrims and receives them by thousands to this day. For a while, at least, it may even have been a Pre-Columbian utopia. For the Aztecs, the great Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon were the birthplace of these celestial bodies. We will have ample time to explore these imposing structures and other buildings as we begin to visualize a society that set the trends for the whole of Mesoamerica.
After lunch, we leave the Valley of Mexico behind, skirt the great volcanoes of Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatepetl, cross over the western Sierra Madre mountains and finally descend into the Valley of Oaxaca where we will spend the next three nights. Enroute, we drive though the state of Puebla, ancient homeland of the Mixtec people. The Mixtecs referred to themselves as Nusabi, "People of the clouds", a distinction they also shared with the Zapotecs, whose realms we now enter. After dinner at the hotel, there should still be time for our first taste of incomparable downtown Oaxaca.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 5:
OAXACA - SANTO DOMINGO CHURCH
Today will be entirely given over to enjoying downtown Oaxaca. After our group activities, you will have time to explore the streets and craft markets at your leisure. A leisurely walk through the shady central Plaza Mayor is the social hub of the city both day and night. Open -air cafes invites us to relax, reflect or socialize. Vendors ply colorful balloons, candy and other street delicacies. Especially at night the soothing notes of marimbas drift across the plaza and mingle with the excited hum of conversation below and the wind whispering through leaves of the great laurel trees above. Apart from a remarkable facade, the cathedral is imposing but austere in outward appearance. Inside, however, one of its hidden treasures is an important collection of paintings by the 18th century Oaxacan artist, Miguel Cabrera. We then continue to the much more impressive Church of Santo Domingo de Oaxaca, founded by the Dominican friars as early as 1547. Inside, the church is a breathtaking riot of gold-leafed, baroque magnificence- undoubtedly the most exalted example of its kind in all of Mexico. Here we also visit the Santo Domingo Regional Museum housed in the oldest part of the monastery and custodian of the sensational treasures unearthed from Tomb 7 at Monte Alban. Stepping further into the past after lunch, we will visit the Rufino Tamayo Museum. It houses an impressive collection of pre-Hispanic art donated by the famous Oaxacan painter to his hometown and will help set the mood for the following day's sortie into the Oaxacan Valley. After this, tour Oaxaca's local market of the dead to buy all the necessary elements and build an altar in the beautiful colonial patio of the hotel.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 6:
MONTE ALBAN
The great Zapotec city of Monte Alban perches atop an isolated spur that rises 1000 feet above the valley floor. Its strategic position at the confluence of the three arms of the Oaxaca Valley makes it an obvious natural lookout and fortress, but apparently it was not occupied until around 500 BC. After this however, there are signs of continual occupation for the next 1400 years.
All good stories, we're taught, consist of a beginning, middle and an end. Traditionally the story of all Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican peoples are so divided - a long "Formative" period, a glorious "Classical" period ruled by shaman-kings, and a "Post-Classic" period that was characterized by growing militarism, disintegration, and confusing cycles of conquest and shifting alliances. This turbulant period was only brought to an end by the arrival of the Spaniards, who were quick to capitalize on this political instability. While Monte Alban is no exception and was particularly influenced by Teotihuacan, it continued to flourish long after the latter and developed its own distinctive art and architecture. Monte Alban declined at the end of the golden age of the priestly kings. Other centers in the valley such as Zaachila and Mitla established their own center at Cuilapan, and the leaders of nearby Zaachila were forced to migrate east to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
In the morning we will drive along the Atoyac river valley to the nearby town of Cuilapan through fields that have been under cultivation for millennia. The grand scheme of the famous Dominican monatery here reflects Cuilapan's importance as a previous indigenous center. Cuilapan was a prominent Mixtec settlement when the Spanish arrived, and it was a natural place for them to establish religious dominance. We then continue on a short distance to Zaachila, which became the Zapotec capital after the demise of Monte Alban. We will also take time to explore one of the local markets that have been a central part of Mesoamerican life for thousands of years. The markets are places of color and movement, displaying strange fruits and vegetables, spices and medicinal herbs, chickens, turkeys, clothes, handicrafts and a thousand utensils that speak of a rural existence.
After lunch in Oaxaca we will visit the small town of Atzompa before ascending the winding road that leads up to Monte Alban. Atzompa, itself situated on an outcrop, formed part of Monte Alban during the Classical period. Since colonial times many small towns and villages in the valley have tradionally specialized in making a particular product. Atzompa is renowned for its glazed green pottery made by a technique that is claimed to be thousands of years old. We then continue on to Monte Alban where, among breathtaking vistas of the valley below, we will visit the most significant buildings and try to reconstruct a picture of life in the city through the ages. Much of the beauty and aesthetic appeal of the buildings depends on the interplay of light and shade that was masterfully exploited by the Zapotec architects. For this reason we will linger here until late afernoon when the true glory of the buildings is revealed by the golden rays of the sinking sun. After returning to the hotel for dinner, you will have a final evening to relax and enjoy downtown Oaxaca before we embark on the next leg of our journey.
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Day 7:
MITLA- TULE TREE - PUEBLA
Visit the Frissel Museum where a wide range of fascinating artifacts are on display. It is in caves near Mitla where the oldest signs of human habitation have been found, but the city itself bloomed late, towards the end of the Post- Classic period. However, Mitla seems to have been something of anachronism in its time and harks back to a more spiritual past when religion and priests had the upper hand over the military elites. The fretwork set into decorative panels around the buildings shows a high degree of perfection, and the panels on the building known as the "Group of Columns" contain over 100,000 separately sculpted and inset stones. In the afternoon, we will continue north-west on the highway and ascend the Valley of Oaxaca into the pine forest of Puebla.
Today will be mostly a travel day as we cross the "Valle Nacional" into the state of Puebla and begin our gradual ascent into the highlands of the Sierra Nevada and the western Sierra Madre mountain range. With stops for refreshment, the journey of just less than 250 miles should take us approximately 4-5 hours. Our route, however, is not without interest. The Valley of Puebla filled with forests and fertile cropland, as well as rivers, lakes, springs and reservoir, is home to a variety of indigenous groups who cling fiercely to their traditions. The region was populated by Toltecs, Chichimecs and Xicalanca Olmecs. Nahua groups arrived in the area in about the 10th century and by the 15th century; the Mexica dominated virtually all of what is now the state of Puebla. The Spanish conquerors made their influence felt by founding the finest baroque city of all: the gorgeous Puebla de los Angeles, one of the country's architectural and cultural jewels. However, they also influenced craftwork by creating the famous Talavera ceramics and food where the blend of Spanish and Indian influences produces one of the most varied and succulent cuisines in Mexico. As we enter Puebla, we also cross the threshold into the vast territories of the ancient Toltecs that once stretched clear to the Yucatan.
We will arrive Puebla and to our centrally located hotel. Dinner will be served in the hotel; there should still be time for our first taste of incomparable downtown Puebla.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 8:
PUEBLA
Today will be entirely given over to delighting our eyes with the palaces and monuments of Puebla. After our group activities, you will have time to explore the streets and the Talavera craft markets at your leisure. We begin with a leisurely walk through the "Callejon de los Sapos" ( Narrow street of the frogs). In colnial times, this street enjoyed the waters of the San Francisco river and mills were built over this street. We will continue to the Zocalo, the heart of the Historic Center, surrounded by beautiful gardens and old juniper trees. By both day and night, the zocalo is the social hub of the city. Orginally the central square was the city's market, where only the indigenous where allowed to sell. In 1545, a city ordinance declared that the bread and sweet rolls could be sold only at the Zocalo to encourage people to go to mass at any of the chapels that surrounded the area. Apart from a remarkable facade, the cathedral is imposing. It took almost 75 years to finish the construction begun in 1575, completed in 1649. We then continue to the much more impressive Church of San Francisco, founded by the Franciscan friars as early as 1585. Here we also visit the Teatro Principal, in the pedestrian area outside the theater, a gathering point for artists, painters and sculptors who display their work and offer to the pedestrians. The Theater was opened in 1760 with a similar design to its counterpart in Mexico City. Stepping further into the past and after lunch, we will visit the Palafoxiana Bibliotec. It houses an impressive collection of 43,000 books gathered by the XVIIIC Archbishop of Puebla, Juan Palafox.
We will continue to the village of Totimehuacan, an historic town located eight kilometers south of the city of Puebla, in the state of Puebla, and admire the colorful traditions practiced during the Day of the Dead.
Totimehuacan means "place of the people of the bird and the arrow" in Nahuatl, the indigenous language of central Mexico.
The old traditions of the Day of the Dead have prevailed for hundreds of years in this picturesque village. This event recalls the old ceremony of the "new fire" which the Mexicans celebrated every 52 years. The ceremony consists in shutting down all antorchs and fire tp remaining in the dark in silence until the new day arises; at sunshine they light the antorchs again and the new fire proclaims the return of the dead to earth with a message from the gods that the "New Fire" will enlighten humans for another 52 years. This celebration is filled with rituals, dances and songs, waiting for the return of the messengers.
Return to Puebla for dinner at the Meson de Santa Clara, famous for the elaboration of the Mole Poblano.
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Day 9:
CHOLULA- MEXICO CITY
Today we begin our journey "traveling through time," an endeavor best left to philosophers; however, visits to places such as Cholula present us with the opportunity to imagine the former character of this region.
Our first stop will be at the beautiful, modern University of Las Americas, one of the finest technology universities in Mexico. It houses hundreds of students from all over the world. Continue to Cholula for a walking site lecture, including the Church of San Francisco de Asis, on top of the main pyramid.
Our drive to Mexico City will be a most pleasant one, with wonderful views of the Sierra Nevada and the Popocatepetl and Izztaccihuatl volcanoes.
Arrive to Mexico City and overnight at the beautiful Hotel de Cortez.
Farewell dinner at the old Hacienda and Castle of Tlalpan.
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Day 10:
DEPARTURE
Depending on your flight schedule, you may or may not have time for shopping or perhaps relaxing on the beach. After such a long journey, some may wish to extend the stay a day or two and enjoy Mexico's unparalleled palaces and museums which can be arranged, or for those who just can't get enough, perhaps you will be tempted to continue your journey south to other destinations in Mexico or Central America?
(B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
North America
Mexico
Archeology/History
Cultural Journey
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