Colonial Mexico

Arrive Mexico City, Mexico

Welcome to Mexico! You are met upon arrival on arrival in Mexico City, and taken to your luxury hotel in the elegant Polanco district.

Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure to relax or explore the city.

Mexico City

This morning, enjoy a sightseeing tour of this cosmopolitan city. Visit the Zócalo (Central Square), the second largest plaza in the world, and the adjacent National Palace, notable for Diego Rivera’s moving murals depicting more than a thousand years of Mexican history. In the National Palace, you are privileged to visit an exclusive and fascinating area with portraits of Mexico’s Presidents.

Next, explore the enormous Metropolitan Cathedral – taking almost 300 years to complete, it displays a mix of varied architectural styles. Your morning tour ends with a visit to the Templo Mayor, or Great Temple, uncovered by accident in 1978.

This afternoon and evening are at your leisure to enjoy the city. ​(B)

Mexico City to Teotihuacán & San Miguel Allende

Depart Mexico City this morning, driving east to the Archeological Site of Teotihuacán, the "City of the Gods" from 200 B.C. to 800 A.D. Touring Teotihuacán, you visit its impressive Quetzalcoatl’s Temple, walk along the Avenue of the Dead and perhaps climb the hallmark Sun and Moon pyramids. This is a vast site containing some of the oldest and most important archeological remains in the Americas.

Next, continue your drive to the small and charming colonial city of San Miguel Allende, a city whose history and lore are intertwined with the Mexican Independence movement. Upon arrival, enjoy a tour of the city, including the famous Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, designed by the indigenous stonemason Zeferino Gutierrez from a postcard he saw of a Belgian Church. ​(B)

San Miguel

Today, enjoy a Mexican cuisine cooking class from the renowned Sazón Cooking School. Start by experiencing the colorful San Miguel Market with your chef as your guide. She will tell you all about the wonderful ingredients that make Mexican Cuisine so special, and give you advice on selecting the best of the crop. Bring some of these perhaps unfamiliar items back to the Sazón kitchen, as they become the ingredients for making delicious salsas and salads, served with handmade tortillas. And of course, after class, you get to taste what you learn to create.

Your afternoon touring begins with a drive to the Fábrica La Aurora Art and Design Center. Here you enjoy a special invitation-only visit to the most interesting exhibits, including a lost collection of Frida Khalo’s journals and etchings (subject to availability). Next, enjoy a private, exclusive visit to the jewelry workshop and gallery of Bill Harris where local metals and stones have been artfully crafted into beautiful pieces. ​(B,L)

San Miguel to Guanajuato

This morning, it is a short drive to vibrant Guanajuato, and into the core of Mexico’s rich colonial heritage. Before arriving in the city, stop for an exclusive visit to famed Majolic Ceramicist Gorky Gonzalez’s workshop, to see the full process of how his masterpieces are created. (If Gorky is around, he is always interested in meeting and sharing stories!)

Depart the workshop, and descend to the city center via cable car to begin your full-day tour of this incredibly interesting and historical city. Guanajuato does not have a main square like the other Colonial Cities, but instead, an intricate series of cobbled-stone streets and narrow alleys, vibrantly filled with churches, Spanish Colonial buildings and an amazing tapestry of colors. Your guide leads you through this maze, pointing out the historic points of note and hidden treasures. See the Juarez Theater, built during the opulent era of Porfirio Diaz in 1903, and Alhondiga de Granaditas, site of the first rebel victory in the War of Independence.

(Lunch is not included, but can be arranged at Jardin de los Milagros, restaurant of renowned signature Chef Bricio Domingez. Bricio is recognized worldwide for his unique molecular fusion of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine.)

In the afternoon, stroll along Callejon del Beso, which translates to ‘the alley of the kiss,’ as its balconies are so close to each other they nearly ‘kiss.’ Then explore the Jardín de la Unión, a botanical garden that serves as the city’s main meeting place. Visit Diego Rivera's birthplace – it has been restored and converted into a museum, displaying some of the early works of this revolutionary painter. ​(B)

Guanajuato to Morelia & Patzcuaro

This morning, it is a short drive to the colonial city of Morelia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the country’s most significant colonial cities.

(Lunch is not included, but can be arranged at Signature Chef Rubí Silva’s Los Mirasoles Restaurant; a tasting menu of the regions unique and tasty delicacies is recommended.)

This afternoon, tour the impressive historic center of Morelia, with its elegant Spanish Colonial architecture. Visit the pink stone Morelia Cathedral, that dominates the main plaza (Zocalo), and that took more than a century to build. Look inside to see its large organ and noted sculpture of the crucifixion. See the Palacio Clavijero, which has gone from the Jesuit school of St. Francis Xavier, to being a prison, and then local government offices.

Later in the afternoon, drive on to the highland city of Pátzcuaro, arriving at your traditional and beautiful ‘casa’ hotel, your home for the next 3 nights. ​(B)

Pátzcuaro

Today explore the colonial gem city of Pátzcuaro. Notice how the cobblestone streets and 17th century architecture blend with the Tarascan and Purépecha traditions of the indigenous inhabitants. Stroll the La Plaza Grande (main square), full of markets and street performers. In the center stands a statue to the beloved 16th century Bishop Vasco de Quiroga. The Bishop was well respected and loved as he helped educate the indigenous people, teaching them how to grow crops and develop their artisan talents. Next, visit the holy Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, where Bishop Quiroga is buried.

Continue on to explore the Casa de los Once Patios (House of Eleven Courtyards) - originally a convent, today it houses a variety of artisan workshops, where you can watch them at their craft. Next, enjoy a special visit with a local mask-making master. Set in lovely courtyard of your hotel, he exhibits his fine masks, while you are treated to a regional Purépecha dance performance of the “Dance of the Old Men”. (B)

Tzintzuntzan & Santa Clara del Cobre

This morning, travel to the countryside to explore some of the sites and villages that surround picturesque Lake Pátzcuaro. Begin with a visit Tzintzuntzan, one of the last few remaining archeological sites of the Purépecha indigenous people.

Next, drive to Santa Clara del Cobre, a fascinating artisan village filled with famed silver shops. During the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations, these villages attract visitors from around the world to witness the mystical and somber rituals of sitting vigil with deceased family members. The rest of the year, the villages present a peaceful look into pre-Columbian times and insight into the friendly Purépecha indigenous people.

Return to Pátzcuaro by mid-afternoon, with time to stroll the cobbled stone streets on your own. ​(B)

Depart Pátzcuaro & Morelia

Today is a day of leisure until time for your transfer to the airport in Morelia for your flight home or onto your next destination. ​(B)