Mexico - EF Educational Tours

9 DAYS
Mexico: Ancient & Modern
Mexico
Guanajuato (1)
Puerto Vallarta (3)
Guadalajara (1)
Teotihuacán
Mexico City (3)
Number of overnight stays in parentheses. This tour may also be reversed.
A monument in Mexico City honors Benito Juárez, the president of Mexico from 1858 to 1872, who promoted equal rights for Mexico’s indigenous population.
Program Fee includes:
■ Round-trip airfare
■ 8 overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms
■ Breakfast and dinner daily
■ Full-time EF Tour Director
■ 4 sightseeing tours led by licensed local guides:
Mexico City • Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and
Teotihuacán Pyramids • Guanajuato • Guadalajara
■ 1 sightseeing tour led by your tour director:
Tlaquepaque
■ 1 walking tour:
Mexico City
■ 5 visits to special attractions:
Museum of Anthropology • Basilica of Our Lady of
Guadalupe • Teotihuacán Pyramids • Callejoneadas
choral group performance • Hospicio Cabañas
OPTIONAL:
Frida Kahlo Museum and Coyoacán
Ballet Folklórico
Sierra Madre
Day 1 Mexico City
Flight to Mexico • Relax as you jet south
to Mexico’s capital, the world’s fastestgrowing
city!
Arrival in Mexico City • After clearing
customs, you are greeted by your EF Tour
Director, who will remain with you throughout
your stay. A private motorcoach then
takes you to your comfortable hotel for
check-in.
Walking tour of Mexico City • On today’s
walking tour of Mexico City, stroll down
Paseo de la Reforma, pass a monument to
Christobal Colón (Christopher Columbus)
and see where Mexico’s first saint was born.
Day 2 Mexico City
Guided sightseeing of Mexico City • Your
guided tour takes you to the Zócalo, Mexico
City’s main square. This was the heart of the
Aztec empire before Cortés and his conquistadore
leveled the area. Picking up the leftover
pieces (including stones from the temples of
Tenochtitlán and Montezuma’s residence), the
Spanish built the cathedral and royal palace
(dating back to 1523). Enter the patio of the
Palacio Nacional, where viceroys were once
entertained by bullfights. Here you can admire
Diego Rivera’s renowned murals—painted
over the course of 22 years and covering 850
square feet, the murals chart Mexico’s history
throughout the ages. Upon exiting, look for
the Bell of Dolores, once rung to inspire the
Mexican people to fight for their independence.
Then cross the square to North America’s
largest cathedral—step inside for a look
at the Altar of the Kings. Back outside, see
the Templo Mayor, a remarkable example
of Aztec ruins.
Visit to the Museum of Anthropology •
Built of marble, volcanic rock and wood, the
Museo Nacional de Antropología houses
items ranging from ancient archaeological artifacts
to the treasures of Mexico’s great civilizations.
Keep your eyes open for the Aztec
calendar stone and Montezuma’s headdress.
Optional visit to the Frida Kahlo Museum
and Coyoacán • Opt to visit the eccentric
Frida Kahlo Museum. Once the artist’s home,
the museum offers a personal look not just
into her works, but into her life as an affluent
Mexican bohemian and wife of muralist Diego
Rivera. Kahlo was born and lived her young
life here before returning with her husband
to spend the seven years before her death.
In addition to her paintings, the museum
also contains costumes, her diaries, masks and
papier-mâché creations. You will also see some
of the surrounding town, Coyoacán, commonly
known as the southern end of Mexico
City. Wander the tree-lined streets dotted
with buildings from the 16th to 19th centuries,
soaking up the bohemian atmosphere created
by the local artist galleries, craft stalls and
street performers.

Day 3 Mexico City
Guided visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of
Guadalupe • The first stop on today’s excursion
is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
whose construction was spurred by a
miracle. According to legend, a peasant named
Juan Diego had a vision of the Virgin on
the same site where the shrine now stands in
the Virgin’s honor.
Guided visit to the Teotihuacán Pyramids •
Continue on to the awe-inspiring pyramids at
Teotihuacán, mysteriously abandoned over a
millennium ago. Built more than 2,000 years
ago by a people we know very little about, the
complex was later appropriated by the Aztecs,
who gave the area its name (meaning “Place of
the Gods”). Traverse the Avenue of the Dead
and climb the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon,
architectural feats complemented by the surrounding
mountains. You will also visit an obsidian
shop and watch a demonstration of how
the volcanic glass, formed when lava freezes and
then cools before crystals have a chance to grow,
is used to make decorative art and jewelry.
Optional Ballet Folklórico Evening • Opt to
attend the Ballet Folklórico, Mexico’s premier
art festival. Witness professional dance troupes
accompanied by mariachi bands. (Due to performance
scheduling, this option is offered on
Wednesdays and Sundays.)
Day 5 Guanajuato • Guadalajara
Transfer to Guadalajara • Traverse rugged
Mexican countryside as you journey
to Guadalajara, “city of rose-colored flowers.”
Guadalajara’s distinctively Spanish culture
dates back to the 1800s, when Spanish
colonists wishing to escape from the chaos
of Mexico City settled here in search of
open frontiers.
Guided sightseeing of Guadalajara • An
expert local guide introduces you to Mexico’s
second-largest city. Guadalajara earned its
nickname from one of the altars here, built in
honor of Our Lady of Roses. Visit the Government
Palace, the cathedral and the nearby
village of Tlaquepaque, famous as the birthplace
of mariachi. It was here that the Mexican
Treaty of Independence took effect in 1821.
Visit to the Hospicio Cabañas • Step inside
the Hospicio Cabañas, where Padre Hidalgo
signed his emancipation proclamation
in 1811. Inside, admire some of the artist
Orozco’s most acclaimed murals.
Discover the true spirit of Mexico as you get to know its locals.
Tour director-led sightseeing of Tlaquepaque
• Your tour director introduces you to
Tlaquepaque, a village of Guadalajara known
for its pottery, furniture and glass factories.
Stroll among the old stone mansions that sell
these popular Mexican crafts—and others,
such as fine wood sculptures and papier-mâché.
Listen for the sounds of the mariachis
coming from El Parian, an 1800s circular
building filled with lively cafés.
Day 6 Guadalajara • Puerto Vallarta
Transfer to Puerto Vallarta • Journey to the
Pacific and the coastal paradise of Puerto Vallarta.
Pirates, explorers and Sir Francis Drake
once sailed into Puerto Vallarta’s bay before
continuing on their journeys.
Day 4 Mexico City • Guanajuato
Transfer to Guanajuato • Transfer by way of
San Miguel de Allende (a colorful artists’ community
named after one of Mexico’s leaders
in the War for Independence) to Guanajuato,
birthplace of Diego Rivera.
Guided sightseeing of Guanajuato •
On your guided tour of Guanajuato, which
means “hill of the frogs,” follow a path
through history and learn the brave tale of “El
Pipila,” who fought his way through showers
of gunfire to defend the city from Spanish invaders.
Pass through Plaza de la Paz and on to
the Teatro Juárez, where many activities take
place in the annual Cervantino festival—a festival
honoring author Miguel de Cervantes.
Las Callejoneadas • Explore the maze of
narrow streets and alleyways of Guanajuato, a
city under a wash of constant sunlight and a
spell of musical enchantment. Walk through
the Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss)—at
merely a yard wide, legend says that lovers used
to kiss from opposing balconies! As you wind
your way through the passageways in the evening,
listen for the sounds of the callejoneadas,
groups of local students who play traditional
songs, accompanied by lively singing.

Day 7 Puerto Vallarta
Optional Sierra Madre excursion • Get
ready because this promises to be an unforgettable
adventure! On this full-day optional excursion,
your group will explore the stunning
scenery of the Sierra Madre aboard a Mercedes
all-terrain vehicle. With your expert guide
leading the way, this off-roading trek will take
you past canyons, waterfalls, mountain streams
and jungle forest. See how local communities
preserve age-old traditions and follow your
guide on a one-hour walk. After an included
buffet lunch, enjoy some beach time.
Day 8 Puerto Vallarta
Free day in Puerto Vallarta • Enjoy a free
day for your own explorations of Puerto Vallarta!
Day 9 Home
Return home • Your tour director assists with
the transfer to the airport, where you’ll check
in for your return flight home.
For complete financial and registration details,
please refer to the Booking Conditions.
ITN0309MAM
Itinerary subject to change.
Cert no. SW-COC-002508
Discover the Global Classroom
Enroll at eftours.com/student
or call 1-800-665-5364
2011/Spring