Mexico - EF Educational Tours

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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.
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Mexico - EF Educational Tours

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