Learn about our complicated neighbor to the south, from the first ancient civilizations, through the Spanish conquest, to contemporary times, as you visit the earliest Mexican cities conquered by Cortés in the 1600s. Explore the ancient Totonác ruins of El Tajín, Zempoala and Quiahuiztlan. Visit the workshops of several master craft artisans and Mexico’s top international ceramists. View fabulous art and architecture. Traverse some of Mexico’s most gorgeous landscapes, which vary dramatically in the space of an hour - from the gulf coast to tropical rain forests, to the panoramic mountainous terrain of the Sierra Madre Oriente range. Visit gorgeous Hacienda Lencero, Museo de Antropologia de Xalapa and a fabulous tropical aquarium in Veracruz. Dr. Jeffrey Wilkerson, Smithsonian Research Associate and Director of the Institute for Cultural Ecology of the Tropics, will guide us through the vital Gulf Coast region of Veracruz, and share with us information and insights about the archeology, ecology, history and politics of Veracruz. |
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OUR HOTELS ARE:
| CITY |
NIGHTS | HOTEL |
| Mexico City |
1 | Plaza Dali |
| Veracruz |
3 | Emporio |
| Tecolutla |
2 | La Mansion del Faro |
| Coatepec |
3 | Posada Coatepec |
| Tlaxacala |
1 | Posada San Francisco |
| Mexico City |
3 | Fiesta Americana |
COST Double occupancy: $2,595 per person
Single occupancy: $2,995 per person
MEXICO CITY EXTENSION
Double occupancy: $775 per person
Single occupancy: $935 per person
Airfare is not included
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We encourage you to sign up for this unique travel opportunity without delay as space is limited.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
1-888-783-1331
480-730-1764
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Conquistador Itinerary
11 days, January 15 to 25, 2009
Veracruz La Antigua Zempoala
Tecolutia Papantla Xalapa
Coatepec Puebla Tlaxcala
Cholula Huejotzingo
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DAY 1 Arrive in Mexico City and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and dinner. D.
DAY 2 Drive to Veracruz, where our first stop in the town of Orizaba. Mexico’s highest mountain, El Pico de Orizaba (18,850 ft.), an extinct volcano, looms in the north. See the Palacio Municipal, an art nouveau iron structure, originally the Belgian Pavilion in the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, later transported to and reassembled in Orizaba. Lunch is at Restaurant Romancho. Continue to the port city of Veracruz. On a walking tour of Veracruz’s Centro Historico, visit Museo de la Ciudad for a glimpse of Veracruz history, see the Plaza de Armas with distinctive colonnades, la Catedral; and two beautiful 20th c. buildings: the Estacion de Ferrocariles and the Edificio Gemelo de Telégrafos y Correos. Walk along Paseo de la Malecón. B, L
DAY 3 Drive to the charming town of Tlacotalpan, declared a United Nations World Heritage Town in 1995. Tlacotalpan is the birth place of Mexico’s legendary musician, poet and movie star, Agustin Lara. Stroll through Plaza Zaragoza, Casa de Cabildo, and the Mercado Municipal, and visit three small museums: The Tobias Carbajal Museum exhibiting Agustin Lara memorabilia; Casa de Cultura where local residents learn to make Veracruz crafts; and the Salvador Ferando Museum with interesting paintings, furniture and photos. Lunch is at Posada Doña Lara. Drive back to Veracruz. The rest of the afternoon and evening are free. B, L.
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DAY 4 Dr. Jeffrey Wilkerson, a scholar at the Smithsonian Institute, will join us today. Brunch is at Café Parroquia on the plaza. Then visit the best aquarium in Latin America, visited by one million, one hundred thousand people in 2006. Dr. Wilkerson will teach us the incredible history of San Juan de Ulua when we visit this massive limestone fortress built in the 1530s. The fortress stored and shipped more gold and silver than any place in the world, and was invaded by the great Elizabethan pirates, Sir Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Sir Walter Raleigh. Later it became a prison noted for its cruelty and its famous prisoners, among them, Benito Juárez. Also visit Baluarte de Santiago to view an exquisite display of pre-Hispanic gold jewelry recovered by a fisherman at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in the 1970s. At our happy hour, Dr. Wilkerson will talk to us about Veracruz. Brunch, D.
DAY 5 This morning, journey up the coast to La Antigua (late 1520s), where you’ll see the ruins of an architecturally interesting mansion. Then continue driving up the coast to the ancient Totonac ruins of Zempoala, where Hernan Cortes organized his march of conquest. Dr. Wilkerson will share with us insights of his historical studies and horseback tracing of the route of the first Europeans to the Aztec capital. After lunch continue to Quiahuiztlan, an archaeological zone with tombs, unusual rock formations and a breathtaking view of the ocean., Continue on to Tecolutla, check into our hotel, and have dinner in a great restaurant run by Canadian ex-pats. B, L.
DAY 6 In Papantla, Mexico’s vanilla capital, see the colorful plaza and visit the workshop of Leandro Espinosa Gutiérrez, a top wood carver. Explore the archeological site of El Tajin, the great ancient Totonac city of the Gulf Coast lowlands. Dr. Wilkerson will teach us about El Tajin’s distinctive sculptures and elaborate architecture. One of the most unique pre-Columbian structures in Mesoamerica is El Tajin’s intriguing Pyramid of the Niches. Learn the rules of the ancient games played in El Tajín’s majestic ball court and catch a performance of the Totonac Sun Dance by the Voladores (flying-dancers), who, dressed as eagles, were emissaries to the gods in ancient times. Enjoy a lunch made especially for us at the field station of the Institute for Cultural Ecology of the Tropics. Dr. Wilkerson will talk to us about remarkable new exploration and research projects. Visit the Institute’s vanilla plantation in its jungle setting and try a freshly-picked coconut/rum cocktail. B, L.
DAY 7 Drive to Xalapa, the “San Francisco of Mexico”, in the rugged Sierra Madre Oriente mountain range. Visit the stunning Hacienda Lencero, once the home of General Santa Ana, victor in the Battle of the Alamo. After lunch, visit the Museo de Anthropología de Xalapa, one of the top museums in the world. Dr. Wilkerson, a special consultant during its construction, will provide background information on the museum’s magnificent pieces from the three major pre-Columbian cultures of the region: the Huastec; the Totonac; and, most important, the Olmec, including five majestic Olmec stone heads. Cocktails and dinner are in Posada Coatepec. B, D.
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DAY 8 Visit the home and studio of internationally acclaimed Gustavo Perez, Mexico’s best contemporary ceramist. Take the scenic drive to see Cascada de Texolo, a majestic waterfall. Have lunch in Xico, where you can try mole de Xico – the best. After lunch, drive back to Coatepec for a free afternoon and evening. Coatepec is a lovely town to walk around in with gilt-covered churches, a nice market and orchids in the main plaza. You may take the option of a tour to a coffee plantation this afternoon. B, L.
DAY 9 Spend the day in Xalapa. Around beautiful Parque Juarez, the main plaza see the “crooked cathedral”, the neoclassical Palacio de Gobierno and the neocolonial Palacio Municipal. Visit the plaza’s two art galleries and cultural center. See contemporary exhibits by regional artists in Galeria de Arte Contemporaneo. After lunch in Bistrót San Jose, visit the workshop of Rogerio Ortega Moreno, an artist who works in obsidian, and tour a beautiful suburb of Xalapa before returning to Coatepec. B, L.
DAY 10 This morning, en route to Tlaxcala, stop at the archeological site of Cacaxtla to see some of Mexico’s most vividly colored murals, accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1975. We can grab a quick lunch in one of the café’s around Tlaxcala’s Zocalo. We visit Palacio de Gobierno to see murals by Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin, depicting the role the Tlaxcalans played in helping Cortez conquer the Aztec Empire, and visit the excellent Museo Regional de Tlaxcala. Tonight we’ll have a happy hour and going away dinner for those not on the Mexico City extension. We spend the night in Tlaxcala. B, D.
DAY 11 Those returning home transfer to the Mexico City airport. Others begin the 3 day extension in Mexico City. B.
Extension in Mexico City
DAY 11 In the Centro Historico, have breakfast at The House of Tiles; tour the Zocalo visiting the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Templo Mayor and the National Palace with Diego Rivera murals; see Museo Mural Diego Rivera and Palacio de Bellas Artes. Have lunch at Café Tacuba, and then visit Museo de Arte Popular, the dazzling new museum of Mexican crafts; and the 16 c. Hospital de Jesus with Mexico’s only portrait of Cortés. B, L.
DAY 12 See a panoramic view of Mexico City at Chapultepec Castle, once home to Emperor Maximilian. Visit Museo de Anthropologia, a world-class museum. B, D.
DAY 13 Visit the old and new Basilicas of the Virgin of Guadalupe. At Teothuacan, explore the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and The Avenue of the Dead. See a demo of how pulque, the Aztec drink of the Gods, is made. The afternoon is free. Meet at the hotel in the evening for our going away cocktail and dinner in one of Mexico’s finest restaurants of Mexican nouvelle cuisine. B, D.
DAY 14 Transfer to the Mexico City Airport. B.
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