Mexico City and Oaxaca Family Adventure

Upon arrival in Mexico City, transfer to our centrally located hotel. Meet fellow families this evening at a welcome orientation and dinner.

Drive to the city’s historical core for a walking tour of the city’s foundations and colonial past. Visit the Templo Mayor, Plaza de la Constitución (also known as Zocalo), and the Catedral Metropolitana, the first and largest cathedral in the Americas. After lunch, stop in the Palacio de Bellas Artes to see Diego Rivera’s famous El hombre en el cruce de caminos (Man at the Crossroads), originally commissioned for New York’s Rockefeller Center, then walk through the lovely Alameda Central Park to the Museo Mural, which is home to another of Rivera’s famous works. Later this afternoon, Lynda Martinez del Campo, a cultural historian, writer, and university professor gives a lively and engaging talk on Mexican muralism. Enjoy dinner tonight at a local restaurant.

After breakfast, venture outside the city to Teotihuacán, a large and majestic archaeological site dating from 200 BCE. Famous for its large pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon, the site also contains beautiful murals and carvings, and at its peak was one of the biggest cities in the world. Return to Mexico City after lunch to see the impressive collection of Mexican handcrafts and folk art, including textiles, pottery, piñatas, and alebrijes on a curator-led tour of the Museo de Arte Popular. End the day with a walking tour of some of Mexico City’s street art. Dinner is on our own this evening.

Set out for the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, where we focus our attention on the Aztec and Mayan halls. Stop for lunch in Coyacan, Mexico City’s historic neighborhood before our visit to Museo Casa Azul, the final home of Frida Kahlo. See some of the artist’s personal objects as well as some of her most important works. Return to the hotel and enjoy another evening at leisure.

This morning, return to the airport for our flight to Oaxaca, Mexico’s most ethnically diverse state with 16 indigenous groups, the largest being Zapotec and Mixtec. After lunch together in San Martin Tilcajete, begin exploring this area's deep connection with craft heritage as we experience the local folk art. Watch artisans carve, whittle, and paint wooden alebrijes. These real and mythical animal figures represent spirits in Zapotec culture. Young explorers get to try their hands at making their own creations. Next, drive to San Bartolo Coyotepec, where Zapotec artisans have been using the area’s ‘black clay’ to create distinct pottery for more than 300 years. At the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO), tour exhibits displaying crafts from Oaxaca’s eight regions with a focus on the Barro negro pottery. Continue to Oaxaca and check in to our hotel located in the city center. Gather for dinner this evening at a local restaurant.

Embark on a walking tour of Oaxaca with its majestic churches and refined plazas. See the church of Santo Domingo with its exquisite gilt interior and visit the Centro Cultural San Pablo. Located in a former 16th-century Dominican convent, the center is dedicated to preserving the indigenous heritage of the region. Along the way, we stop to sample some of the region’s specialties, such as chapuline, a toasted, chili-spiced grasshopper, and tejate,  a ceremonial drink made of cacao, corn, cinnamon, and mamey fruit. Dine at Alice Water's favorite spot in Oaxaca, Itanoni Tortilleria y Antojeria, known for its traditional preparation of tortillas on a comal, a concave clay griddle. These corn tortilla-based small dishes are the heart of the Mexican menu. Afterward, while adults stop at a mezcal distillery, young explorers meet with a traditional chocolate-making family to learn about the history and cultural significance of cacao. Enjoy dinner on our own this evening.

Spend today exploring one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in the region. Located in the Oaxaca Valley, Mitla served as a religious and funerary center, likely for elite Zapotec priests and rulers. Here, corn not only provided subsistence but also served as a spiritual pillar in Zapotec cosmology. Learn about the ceremonies that accompanied the planting and harvesting of maize and marvel at the geometric mosaics that decorate many of the buildings. Back in Oaxaca, gather later this evening for festive farewell dinner to toast our adventure.

This morning, transfer to the airport for flights returning home.