Colonial Mexico Treasures with FriendsTravel.com

Day 2 Mexico City 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 at the Four Seasons. (B) Day 3 Mexico City (Pyramids of 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, you 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 you 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 at the Four Seasons. (B) Day 4 Mexico City / Cuernavaca-Taxco / Mexico City Breakfast in the hotel. One of the last remaining vestiges of the old Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco lay out in the south of the city. On arrival at the pier board the gaily-painted “trajinera” or boat to be gently poled along some of the many waterways which make up this area. You be able to enjoy the colors and beauty of this area as you sail along for about an hour. Continue to Cuernavaca – the city of ‘Eternal Spring’ where the Spanish Conqueror, Hernan Cortes, had his summer palace. 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. Overnight at the Four Seasons. (B) Day 5 Mexico City / Puebla / Oaxaca Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to Oaxaca via Puebla passing the volcanos Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl. The first stop will be at Santa María Tonantzintla, to visit the colorful chapel, then continue to Cholula, the city of churches, to visit the Pyramid with the biggest base in the world. After this visit continue to Puebla, on arrival in Puebla take a tour of this beautiful colonial city to see such buildings as the Cathedral, and Capilla del Rosario, the main square and the religious museum ‘Convento de Santa Monica’. Continue to Oaxaca. 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 at the Camino Real. (B) Day 6 Oaxaca (Monte Alban) Breakfast in the hotel. The morning is spent visiting the city of Oaxaca and the most important stops will be at the Regional Museum, and the famous Santo Domingo Church. Most of the tour 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 at the Camino Real. (B) Day 7 Oaxaca / Tehuantepec Breakfast in the hotel. On the way to Chiapas we will visit the ruins at Mitla, which 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. (B) Day 8 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 its best. Following this, on to San Cristobal to overnight at the Parador San Juan de Dios. (B) Day 9 San Cristobal (San Juan Chamula & Zinacantan) 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-colored 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 at the Parador San Juan de Dios. (B) 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. You can swim there if they so wish. Continuation to Palenque afterwards. Overnight at the Chan Kah Resort. (B) 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 at the Hotel Puerta Campeche. (B) 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 at the Hacienda Xcanatun. (B) Day 13 Merida / Chichen Itza – 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 at the Ritz Carlton Cancun. (B) Day 14 Cancun Breakfast at hotel. Final day at leisure to enjoy the white sandy beaches of Cancun. Overnight at the Ritz Carlton Cancun. (B) Day 15 Cancun / Departure Breakfast in hotel and free time until transfer to the airport for your departure flight. (B) Hotels included: Four Seasons, Mexico City Camino Real, Oaxaca Hotel Calli, Tehuantepec Parador San Juan de Dios Chan Kah Resort, Palenque Hotel Puerta Campeche Hacienda Xcanatun, Merida Ritz Carlton Cancun Mexico@friendstravel.com FriendsTravel.com FriendsTravel.net Package Code: mexico15d LTD