Art, Colonial Cities and Food

One of the most enjoyable destinations worldwide. Its historic centre, better known as Zocalo, is the heart of a living culture that exudes everything accumulated since the founding of Tenochtitlan. Visit its neighbourhoods flooded with art nouveau and art deco, enjoy its cuisine and lose yourself in the streets of the city with the most museums in the world.

Get ready to enjoy Mexico City as it should be met: getting lost in its history, folklore and food.

During this journey, you will experience Mexico City in some of its numerous facets:

• Indigenous Heritage: Teotihuacan archaeological site &Xochimilco foodie experience.

• Hispanic Colonial period: “Zocalo” walking tour. Chapultepec Castle. Anthropology Museum.

• Post-colonial times: National Palace Murals.

• Recent history: Frida Kahlo & Leon Trotsky houses/museums.

• Modern times: Local experience with contemporary artist. Saturday’s Art bazar.

For the first experience in Mexico City, we will drive towards Teotihuacán to board a hot air balloon where you will enjoy this enigmatic place from the heights. The aesthetics of the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon are incredibly appreciated from the sky, it is a magnificent adventure that you will surely never forget.

Later, we will have a buffet breakfast to charge up batteries to walk around the archaeological site. After breakfast, we will start the guided tour with one of our historians through and learn about local traditions, history and all the mysticism surrounding this area.

The largest pre-Colombian site in the Americas and the largest and most visited cultural site in Mexico.Apart from the pyramidal structures, the archaeological site of Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the so-called “street of the dead”, and its colorful well-preserved murals.

After walking around the site, you will experience an authentic indigenous mystical ceremony guided by a shaman in the astronomical cave of an ancient observatory.

Peaceful and picturesque, San Ángel is a culturally important neighbourhood in Mexico City. It houses several art galleries, beautiful churches and artisan markets. Explore the history, culture and colours of this thriving hood, where every Saturday, the squaresare transformed into the paradise of artsy temptations. Gorgeous buildings, surround this artsy street market, full of colours, handcrafts & folklore.

From fine jewelry and textiles to woodwork and ceramics, this bazaar showcases the skills and styles of the country’s best artisans.

For lunch, we will drive to one of the least urbanized areas of the city: Xochimilco - famous for its canals (ancient transport system used by the Aztecs) and live a gastronomic and organic experience to taste the local Mexican cuisine at its best. Meet the “chinampas” - floating gardens and their special craft methods that are used to grow the best vegetables used by the best and most renowned chefs in Mexico City.

Once at the “chinampa”, a Top Chef will use local organic ingredients to prepare a family style lunch menu, to enjoy a once in a lifetime foodie experience.

This day has been designed for you to learn about Mexican history, culture and its people.

During this tour, you will visit some of the most iconic landmarks in the City, in order to fully understand better everything that Mexico City represents and stands for.

Some of the landmarks that will be visited are:

• “Zócalo” – México´s central main square.
• National Palace: gorgeous architecture, decorated with stunning murals.
• Cathedral: one of the most iconic sacred art compounds.
• “Bellas Artes” Palace: This art nouveau/art deco building, dedicated to the fine arts is an architecture masterpiece, worth to visit.
• Chapultepec Castle: the only building in America that can be properly called a castle. An amazing construction, with some of the best views of the city.
• National Museum of Anthropology: one of the most important museum sites in Mexico and America.

To better understand artists, you need to go as deep as possible… and there is nothing deeper than its own workshops and houses.

This day will bring us closer to one of the biggest Mexican artists of recent times: Frida Kahlo. We will visit her former house and workshop, which is now a museum. The so-called “Casa Azul”(Frida Kahlo Museum) is the place where personal objects reveal the intimate universe of the most recognized Latin American artist worldwide.

We will also visit Leon Trotsky’s house and museum. A well-knownRussian politician and revolutionary, who spent his last days in Mexico, and who was closely related with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

To complete this experience, we recommend to have lunch at “Corazón de Maguey”. A pintoresque restaurant, located in the same neighbourhood as the museums, and that offers a unique menu, based on local pre-hispanic cuisine, paired with one of the biggest Mezcalcollections, for you to taste several variations of this mythical drink.

We will end the day with an exclusive, one-on-one experience with one of the most brilliant upcoming Mexican artist: Olmo Rios. A self-taught artist, who is disrupting the scene with his bold creations. We will “walk through” the complete process of the creation of his art, from the conception, to the exhibition in the gallery.

It´s time to hit the road!! Today, we will drive to San Miguel de Allende, a city of the colonial era located in the central highlands of Mexico, known for its Spanish baroque architecture, its flourishing artistic panorama and its cultural festivals.

Most tourists enjoy walking through the cobblestone streets, exploring the colonial architecture, browsing through charming boutiques and art galleries, and watching the sunset from rooftop bars, but be ready to discover San Miguel’s charm as a local, and discover some of this Magical Town’s hidden jewels.

LA AURORA: What used to be a textile factory, today houses canvases, sculptures and artisan products of great artists who live in San Miguel. After being for nine decades an important engine for the labour sector in the textile industry, the walls of the Aurora Factory mutated to house in them, canvases and handicrafts in exchange for the looms that in themselves had already given fame and recognition.

For the evening, we will be enjoying the company of a local foodie, who will introduce to us the local flavors and hidden corners in a “Dine Around” experience. Get ready to be amazed by San Miguel´s nights magic, and incredible foodie scenario

MOJIGANGAS: The giant dancing puppet figures known as “Mojigangas” exude sheer delight, joy, and have become an essential part of the San Miguel de Allende fiestas.These iconic characters, are humorous representations made of cardboard, with voluminous and colorful shapes that can reach up to 5 meters high. Whenever there is something to celebrate, the mojigangas accompany us dancing along the main streets of the city.

But the hard work, rituals, and devotion behind the revelry must also be appreciated, and we bring you backstage on one of the biggest workshops responsible of these joy evoking creations.

To continue learning about local crafts, we will have a tasting of one of Mexico’s top Tequilas: “Casa Dragones”.

CASA DRAGONES TASTING ROOM:  a six-seat destination for sipping tequila and signature craft cocktails located in the historic Dôce 18, a curated collection of luxury boutiques, design shops and restaurants. Casa Dragones collaborated with the internationally acclaimed firm Meyer Davis, known for their made to measure approach to design and architecture, to create the intimate Tasting Room, which showcases Casa Dragones’ ongoing commitment to Mexican craftsmanship.

Guanajuato is one of the most amazing cities in Mexico. In the 16th century, people came to this region after the silver and gold mines were discovered.

In this city, you'll enjoy watching the architecture from the colonial period and the 19th century. We can also visit one of the old mines to have a better comprehension of how it was in the old times.

Besides those places, we can visit one of the museums, where we'll learn about the history and culture of this region. One of the highlights is the Diego Rivera Museum, which is located in the house where this famous artist was born at the end of the 19th century. They have an extraordinary collection of some of his paintings.

Some of the local landmarks that will be visited are:

• Walking tour in downtown.
• Visit to Juarez theatre.
• Visit the Diego Rivera House.
• Pipila Monument.
• Local Market.

Every dream must come to an end, but we are sure we’ll meet again… soon. We will help you with the drive back to the airport, for you to fly back