Flavors of Mexico City

Itinerary

Day 1: January 25 - Arrive in Mexico City: Bienvenido a Mexico!

Arrive in the vibrant embrace of Mexico City, where the sun's gentle caress invites you to unwind and immerse yourself in its welcoming warmth. Enjoy the city's radiant energy, which will rejuvenate your spirit before you rendezvous with your travel companions for an orientation and welcome dinner, joined by your Earthbound guides and host, Angela Davis.

Day 2: January 26 - Step into the past in Centro Historico

The beating heart of Mexico City, the 668-block Centro Historico is the most culturally significant neighborhood. It is home to ornate colonial buildings, vast plazas and throngs of tourists and locals alike. Here sits the largest concentration of the city’s historical monuments, which are built on top of the site of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. Our excursion begins with the city’s main square, the Zócalo. Officially known as Plaza de la Constitución, this massive central plaza has been a gathering place for centuries and continues to host frequent political and social protests. It’s impossible to miss the Mexican flag flying high above the square, one of the largest in the world! The Catedral Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cathedral) looms over the square and is actually the largest cathedral in all of Latin America. Showcasing a range of different architectural styles, it’s possible to go inside and take a look at the ornate ceiling and stained-glass windows. Also bordering the Zócalo is the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), which is where you’ll find Diego Rivera’s world-famous mural, The History of Mexico. After our visit, our journey continues as we head across the plaza to the Templo Mayor (Main Temple). The Templo Mayor was once the main temple of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, upon which Mexico City is literally built. The ruins of the temple have been excavated by archaeologists, and you can wander around and see what remains. We will visit the on-site museum which is massive and has so much to see. We stop to see the Casa de Los Azulejos (House of Tiles) for a photo in front of the ornamental tiles. Enjoy an authentic lunch, after which, we go to the Palacio Postal (Postal Palace) to marvel at the world’s most beautiful post office! It’s definitely worth going inside to see the stunning Art Nouveau interior. And make sure you look up from the marble staircases to the stained-glass ceiling. There is a separate entrance for those simply looking, and you can avoid the lines of locals actually waiting to use the postal services! Now it’s on to one of the most iconic images of Mexico City, the Palacio de Bella Artes (Palace of Fine Arts). This opulent marble building is dedicated to the fine arts, housing a concert hall and arts center. Enter and see works from some of Mexico’s most famous muralists, including Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. This evening let’s relax with drinks and have dinner at a local restaurant. For some extracurricular activity, check out the Centro Historico and Terraza Catedral with a great rooftop bar. You may wish to grab a drink and enjoy the sunset from here!

Day 3: January 27 - Morning Food Market Tour and the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

This morning enjoy an outing to Mercado Merced, a feast for the senses, where we will touch, taste and see many of the secret ingredients of Mexican cuisine. Just outside central Mexico City is a small network of canals, known as the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. Located in a neighborhood of the same name, these canals are the last remaining evidence of the complex system of waterways built by the Aztecs back when Mexico City was the ancient city of Tenochtitlán. Cruising along these canals in a colorful gondola-style boat, or trajinera, is a fun and festive activity for friends and families celebrating various occasions. Vendors row up alongside your boat to serve up micheladas and snacks. And there are even mariachi bands on the canals, ready to climb aboard and sing you a song! Return to our hotel in the late afternoon and relax before heading out to dinner.

Day 4: January 28 - The Museo Nacional de Antropología and Frida Kahlo

Mexico’s answer to Central Park, Bosque de Chapultepec, is the city’s largest green space. Covering over 4 sq km, it is considered the lungs of the city. More than just a park, this expansive area is home to world-famous museums, historic attractions and some epic city views. This morning, head to the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Anthropology Museum). Even if you’re not a museum lover, this fascinating museum is crucial to understanding the pre-classical period and other ancient civilizations in Mexico, such as the Teotihuacan, Mexica, Oaxaca, Toltec, Aztec and Maya. After lunch, we venture to the charming Coyoacán neighborhood, a quiet, green suburb located a short distance from the center of the city. A rainbow of colonial-style buildings line leafy cobblestone streets in this bohemian neighborhood, with an artsy vibe and gentle pace. There will be an independent lunch opportunity at Mercado Coyoacán. Inside the market is a famous food stall called Tostadas de Coyoacan, known as having the best tostadas in the city. The area is famous for the Casa Azul (Blue House) where renowned Mexican artist and feminist Frida Kahlo lived with her husband Diego Rivera. The house has been converted into the Museo Frida Kahlo (Frida Kahlo Museum), which is our first stop of the day. The museum displays many of Kahlo’s personal belongings and some of her artworks. We’ll also view the many gorgeous colorful houses in this area as well as Plaza Hidalgo and Jardin Centenario. Dinner this evening? Time for a food tour! Tacos, tortas, tamales and more, the food of Mexico City is some of the tastiest in the country, and the best way to see it is with a local. Be accompanied through markets, down backstreets and into small street food stalls to discover some of the most delicious local dishes and learn more about the cuisine of the city. This tour is all about Mexico City’s tacos, and you’ll get to try a variety of popular tacos all over the city, as well as sample some mezcal, Mexico’s other popular spirit.

Day 5: January 29 - The Ancient City of Teotihuacan

We depart very early for Teotihuacan, an ancient Mesoamerican city located a short distance from the center of the city. The site is home to some of the world’s largest pyramids, and a visit to the impressive city is a must. Included is a morning visit to the home of an artist whose home overlooks the ancient city. Enjoy coffee and pastries as you watch the sun rise. Or, for some, seeing it from above on a hot air balloon is a true bucket list item, especially as you watch the sunrise as you fly over 2,000-year-old pyramids. Your guide can arrange this activity upon request. You’ll float over all the major sights, such as the Pirámide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun) and the Pirámide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon). A once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is simply mind-blowing to see such well-preserved history from above, in a sky filled with colorful balloons. Upon safely landing, celebrate the flight with a champagne toast and a buffet breakfast. After breakfast, we then visit Teotihuacán on foot to see it from a different perspective. Very little is known about the people who lived there, and it remains a mystery who built this spectacular city. It is often incorrectly assumed that Teotihuacán was an Aztec city. But this isn’t true, and the Aztecs only discovered the city once it was well and truly abandoned. They gave it the name Teotihuacán, meaning the place where the gods were created. Whoever it was that constructed Teotihuacán so long ago, it is incredibly preserved and offers a fascinating insight into one of the earliest Mexican civilizations.

Day 6: January 30 - Murales de Diego Rivera en la Secretaría de Educacion Publica

Urban market scenes bustle with activity and seem to burst out of the picture plane. The colorful festivities at the Canal at Santa Anita draw us in with the vibrant colors of their flower vendors. Scenes of industry depict the labor and heroism of the worker. These are but a few of the subjects that cover the walls of Mexico City’s Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP)—the federal government building that houses the Ministry of Public Education. The enormous mural cycle celebrates Mexico: its festivals, its industries, and its people in over 100 panels. The murals were painted from 1923–1928, primarily by Diego Rivera. Many consider the murals to be the foundational work that established the aesthetic of the Mexican Mural Renaissance. The murals address thematic issues of nation-building, indigenísmo, modernization, and socialist politics - themes that Mexican muralists continued to address and that were important in post-revolutionary Mexico.

Day 7: January 31 - Return home with a lifetime of memories!

Your journey concludes after breakfast. Transfers are included this morning to the Mexico City airport.