Mexican Heritage:

Places Covered:

City Tour, Museum, Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Taxco, Tequesquitengo.

Duration:

14 Nights / 15 Days

Detailed Itinerary:    

Mexico is a fascinating country and has so much to offer in the way of culture, history, archaeology, dress, music, food and of course scenery. Join with us for a trip through the classical part of this country and experience at first-hand many of these attractions.

Day 01:

Arrival day in Mexico City. Meet and greet at the airport. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight.

Day 02: City Tour / Museum

Breakfast in the hotel. The morning City Tour will concentrate on the area of the Zocalo. It will include visits to the 18th Century Cathedral, the National Palace with the famous murals by Diego Rivera and there will be an option for those who wish to visit the ruins of the 'Templo Mayor' (Not included in the price). This is a recently-discovered ruin of an Aztec Temple next to the Cathedral and it also has a small museum. The afternoon will be devoted to the Museum of Anthropology, considered the best of its kind. It displays many treasures of the different pre-Hispanic Mexican cultures. Overnight. The visits will take approximately 6 hours.

Day 03: Teotihuacan

Breakfast in the hotel. The tour will first stop at the Plaza of 3 Cultures, so-called because of the ruins of an Aztec Temple, a church from the Spanish Conquest and a 'modern' housing estate all to be seen in the area. The tour continues to the Basilica of Guadalupe - the most important religious shrine in all Mexico and America's pilgrimage center, the people can appreciate the old Basilica as well as the newer building. Then the tour continues to the imposing Pyramids of Teotihuacan, probably the greatest vestige of the Aztec Empire, where the people will visit the two Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the temple of Quetzatcoatl, walk along the 'Avenue of the Dead' and also visit the Museum. Overnight. The visits take approx 7 hours.

Day 04: Mexico City / Cuernavaca / Taxco / Tequesquitengo

Breakfast in the hotel. The tour takes the people firstly to Cuernavaca - the city of 'Eternal Spring' where the Spanish Conqueror, Hernan Cortes, had his summer palace. The people visit the Cathedral, which is the oldest in the Americas and will have the option of visiting the Museum dedicated to Cortes (Not included in the price). Then the tour continues on to the silver mining City of Taxco, which is today under monument's protection and where you can find the best silver handicrafts in the country. Coaches are not allowed in the center of the town, so the people will walk up to the impressive center along the cobble stoned streets. There will be a visit to the splendid Santa Prisca Church on the main square, which was built by Don Jose de la Borda as a gift to Taxco, this is a landmark in the area and then the people will have time for shopping in the silver shops before leaving to Tequesquitengo. Overnight at Hacienda Vista Hermosa. DISTANCE - Approx 150 kms . TIME - Approx 7 hours.

Day 05: Tequesquitengo / Oaxaca

Breakfast in the hotel. The journey across the Sierra Madre mountains to Oaxaca is very scenic. You will see amazing landscapes and vegetation. When you arrive in Oaxaca, you will understand why it was declared "Cultural Heritage of Mankind" by the UNESCO. This old colonial town shows in its plazas, in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo and in many more enchanting places, all the richness of the Spanish Period. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 500 kms . TIME - Approx 8-9 hours with various stops on the way!

Day 06: Oaxaca

Breakfast in the hotel. The morning is spent visiting the city of Oaxaca and the most important stops will be at the Regional Museum, which is a fascinating place and the famous Santo Domingo Church. A lot of the visit can be made on foot, as the center of Oaxaca is quite small. In the afternoon the excursion is out to Monte Alban, built on a hilltop -flattened by the Zapotec Indians- overlooking Oaxaca over 2500 years ago, and the trip there takes about 25 minutes only. Overnight.

Day 07: Oaxaca / Tehuantepec

Breakfast in the hotel. As the ruins at Mitla are on the road to Chiapas we plan the visit on leaving Oaxaca. Mitla was a Zapotec settlement from as early as 100 AD.After the decline of Monte Alban, it became one of the most important Zapotec centers. The trip to Mitla takes about 45 minutes and after the visit the journey continues over the mountains and on to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the city of the same name. Overnight at Hotel Calli. DISTANCE - Approx 255 kms. TIME - Approx 7-8 hours, including the visit to Mitla.

Day 08: Tehuantepec / San Cristobal

Breakfast in the hotel. The continuation to Chiapas and Tuxtla Gutierrez is over the hot dusty Isthmus , we will pass the capital of Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, a clean, surprisingly lively and prosperous city. Just at the other side of the town is the magnificent Sumidero Canyon, where the River Grijalva cuts its way through the high rock formations. This is the place where the local Indians hurled themselves into the Canyon rather than submit to the Spanish Conquerors. The group will be taken on a spectacular boat ride into the Canyon itself that will give you the chance to see it at it's best. Following this to San Cristobal is about another 2 hours. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 350 kms. TIME - Approx 8 hours, including the visit to the Canyon.

Day 09: San Cristobal

Breakfast in the hotel. The Indian villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinancantan lie just outside San Cristobal. San Juan Chamula is where the Chamula Indians live and there will be a visit to the special church where they carry out their religious practices (no cameras allowed !). Zinacantan is where the Indians wear brightly-coloured clothes, the road to this village offers a fabulous scenery! (Again no photos allowed!) In the afternoon there will be time to walk around San Cristobal and see some of the beautiful colonial architecture of the city. Overnight.

Day 10: San Cristobal / Palenque

Breakfast in the hotel. The road to Palenque comes out of the Chiapan Highlands and down to the more jungle-like scenery in the area of the famous ruins. About 1 hour out of Palenque nearby the road are the beautiful Waterfalls of Agua Azul, considered one of the wonders of Mexico, the water comes straight out of the mountains and cascades down several falls into turquoise pools surrounded by jungle. The people can swim there if they so wish. Continuation to Palenque afterwards. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 250 kms. TIME - Approx 5-6 hours.

Day 11: Palenque / Campeche

Breakfast in the hotel. The whole morning is taken up with visiting the extensive ruins at Palenque, surrounded by emerald jungle, Palenque's setting is superb and its Mayan architecture and decoration are exquisite, at the peak of Palenque's power, the entire city was painted vermilion, you should not miss the crypt in the Temple of inscriptions and the museum, everything you will see here was achieved without metal tools, pack animals or the wheel! From there it is on to Campeche, a city filled with historic buildings. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 300 kms. TIME - Approx 6 hours.

Day 12: Campeche / Merida

Breakfast in the hotel. The distance from Campeche to Merida is relatively short and between there are the ruins at Uxmal and Kabah. The first ruins visited are at Kabah, undoubtedly the most impressive building here is the Palace of the Masks, offering an amazing sight, with its façade covered in nearly 300 masks of Chac, the rain god or sky serpent. Then one of the highlights of Yucatan, the ruins at Uxmal. There will be plenty of time to visit all the major points of the ruins such as the Pyramid of the magician, the Nunnery quadrangle, the House of turtles and the Governor's Palace before continuing on to Merida to arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 200 kms. TIME - Approx 9 hours, including the visits.

Day 13: Merida / Cancun

Breakfast in the hotel. The new highway from Merida to Cancun passes by Chichen Itza, one of the largest and best kept sites in Mexico. It actually is two cities, one ruled by the Mayans during the 6th - 10th centuries, and the older, a Toltec-Mayan city emerged around 1000 AD. Don't miss the towering Castillo with its cosmological symbolism - There are 365 steps (depicting the solar year), 52 panels (for each year in the Mayan century) and 18 terraces (for the number of months in the religious year). The enormous ball court nearby, is the largest ever discovered, and is lined with fascinating carvings. Continuation to the world-famous resort of Cancun is direct and the road is very straight. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 400 kms. TIME - Approx 9 hours, including the visit.

Day 14: Cancun

Breakfast. A final day of leisure to enjoy the beautiful waters and the clear - white sand of Cancun. Overnight.

Day 15: Cancun flight out

Breakfast. Free time until the transfer to the airport for the flight out of Cancun.