Mexico City and Oaxaca

Upon arrival in Mexico City, transfer to our hotel, located in the cosmopolitan Polanco neighborhood. Gather this evening with fellow travelers for our welcome dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Begin today at the National Museum of Anthropology, located in one of Mexico City’s largest city parks, Bosque de Chapultepec. Explore the massive Mesoamerican artifact collection and enjoy lunch in the museum. Next, venture to the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, home to one of his most famous works, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central. Tonight, dine in the restaurant of acclaimed chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita.

This morning, meet with Lynda Martinez del Campo, a cultural historian, writer, and university professor for a talk on Mexican Muralism. Afterward, drive to Teotihuacán, a large and majestic archaeological site just outside the city. Marvel at beautiful murals and carvings and wander among the large pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon. Return to Mexico City after lunch and embark on a walking tour with Street Art Chilango, a group dedicated to documenting the urban art, graffiti, and murals in Mexico City. Enjoy dinner independently this evening, choosing from among Mexico City’s many outstanding restaurants.

Examine Mexico City’s foundations and colonial past during a walking tour this morning. See Templo Mayor, one of the main temples of Tenochtitlan and the former capital of the Aztec empire, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, the first and largest cathedral in the Americas. We also visit the Palace of Fine Arts with its immense murals by world-famous artists, including Rufino Tamayo and Diego Rivera. After lunch, continue to the Museum of Folk Art for a curator-led tour. Dinner this evening is at leisure.

This morning, drive to the southern part of the city to visit the final residence of Frida Kahlo, now known as the Museo Casa Azul. Enjoy lunch overlooking bustling Coyoacán Plaza, then head outside the city to the Museo Dolores Olmedo, home to the most significant collection of works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Return to Mexico City for dinner. 

We catch an early morning flight to Oaxaca and spend the remainder of the day exploring the area’s folk art. Begin with a drive to San Bartolo Coyotepec, a Zapotec town famous for producing barro negro, a polished black pottery. Visit the home of famed ceramic artist Carlomagno Pedro Martinez and the State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca (MEAPO). After lunch, continue to a workshop in San Martín Tilcajete to see the creation of alebrijes, the fancifully painted wooden animals that represent spirits in Zapotec culture. Return to Oaxaca and check in to our hotel.

After breakfast, depart on foot for the church of Santo Domingo and on to the San Pablo Center, housed in a 16th-century Dominican monastery, stopping along the way to try tejate, a ceremonial drink of cacao, corn, cinnamon, and mamey fruit. For lunch, drive to Itanoní Antojeria y Tortilleria, a casual, open-air restaurant and a favorite of Alice Waters, where heirloom corn varieties are used to make extraordinary versions of antojitos, the corn tortilla-based small dishes that are the heart of the Mexican menu. Afterward, we go to the village of Teotitlan del Valle to meet with the Isaac Vasquez family—weavers who worked together with the master painter Francisco Toledo on the revival of natural dyeing techniques. Later, return to Oaxaca for a mezcal tasting.

Today, venture to Monte Albán to tour this ancient Zapotec metropolis that was founded in the 6th century BCE. Explore the terraces, pyramids, and canals that extend over some four miles. Return to Oaxaca for an afternoon at leisure before gathering to toast our journey at a farewell dinner.

Depart for the airport to catch homeward bound flights.