Tour program "Viva Mexico: Mexico, the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Tula and Tepotzotlan", 4 days/ 3 nights

Do you want to learn more about the culture and history of Mexico? Our program will help you. You’ll familiarize yourself with the sights of the capital, you’ll visit places that hold the history of the ancient inhabitants of the Mexican land, and you’ll appraise the beauty of the colonial and modern architecture of the country.

Day 1. MEXICO CITY

Arriving to Mexico City; meeting the Russian-speaking guide; transfer to the hotel of selected category; placement. Free time.

Day 2. MEXICO CITY: a panoramic tour with a visit to the Guadalupe Shrine and the pyramids of Teotihuacan (duration – 10 hours)

Breakfast.

A tour will begin on the city's main square – Zocalo (Constitution Square), where you will visit the Catholic Cathedral, which is a fine example of Baroque and Classicism, and the Presidential Palace, where you will see the murals (kind of wall painting) of the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera, in which he displayed the history of Mexico from the Aztecs to the twentieth century.

Next, you will pass by one of the residential areas of Mexico City – Polanco, you’ll familiarize yourself with its sunny streets, lively squares, shady parks, multi-jet fountains, monuments and sculptural installations, with its hospitable and cheerful people.

The tour also includes a visit to the Guadalupe Shrine, the most revered saint of the people of Mexico. According to legend, the temple was built on the place where the Immaculate Virgin Mary appeared in 1531 to Juan Diego. In a sign that She takes the people of Mexico under her protection, the Virgin Mary took the form of a dark-skinned Holy Guadeloupe. Her image miraculously appeared on the cloak of Juan made of fibers of agave. Currently, this miraculous icon is keeping in the new church, which is a magnificent example of modern architecture accommodating 10,000 of people at the same time.

Next, the trip to the wonderful city of Teotihuacan is proposed to the attention of tourists. The ancient city is located 60 km from the capital. It received its name from admiring Aztecs, who came to this region in a few centuries after the last resident of this city left it. Even in the ruins of the city the Aztecs felt something divine, giving to the city the name Teotihuacan, which translated from Nahuatl means "place where the gods are born". And they were right: all the buildings of the city, pledged at the beginning of our era, were in full agreement with the position of star luminaries in the sky! In times of greatest prosperity the city had more than two hundred thousand inhabitants, and there was not the city not in the Old or the New World even in the Middle Ages equal to it in area and the number of residents.

The majestic Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent – Quetzalcoatl, towering over all the surviving buildings of the city, located at the Paths of the Dead, are keeping their secrets, yielding clues of mystery that surrounds this forgotten by people city. You will visit the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl – a mythical bird and butterfly; you’ll see the Palace of the Jaguar and visit the residences of the former inhabitants of Teotihuacan.

Day 3. MEXICO CITY: an excursion to Tula and Tepotzotlan (duration – 7 hours)

Breakfast.

Tula – the legendary Tollan – is the ancient capital of the Toltecs, based in the VIII-IX centuries by wild semi-civilized tribes, who came to Mesoamerica from the North, who left the historic ancestral home in search of the Promised Land. Toltec visited the ruins of Teotihuacan and decided to build their own city, wishing to have it even more beautiful than the great Teotihuacan. The Warriors – stone sculptures of almost five-meter height – once supported the roof of the magnificent temple of the Morning Star that was standing at the top of the pyramid. And now their faces gaze into the distance impassively, remembering the past glory of Tollan. Here are preserved pyramids, a stadium for a ball game, a temple with a lot of columns, bas-reliefs depicting the Feathered Serpent. A small museum presents the ceramics and other art objects, famous throughout Mesoamerica.

Tepotzotlan is a picturesque town located 44 km from the capital of Mexico. Remarkable National Museum of the ViceRegal or Colonial Period has one of the largest collections of artifacts of the sacred art of the colonial period. The museum is housed in a former Jesuit college (XVII-XVIII century). More than 40 rooms are open to view. We recommend you to view the Home Church – "Capilla Doméstica", destined for the novices of the Jesuit Order. The church is richly decorated with paintings and statues. Gorgeous golden patterns cover the dome of the church.

You will see another undisputed masterpiece of world architecture – the famous church of San Francisco Javier, dedicated to the patron of the Jesuit Order. Facade and tower of the church is made in the style Churrigueresque. Altar strikes by bizarre fanciful wood carvings. The cozy interior courtyards of the monastery filled with orange trees. All the year round the roses smell sweat on the lawns of shaded park.

Day 4. MEXICO CITY

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport.

The price includes:

• accommodation according to the program of tour in the specified hotels or in the similar ones;
• breakfast ("buffet" or "American");
• Russian-speaking guide throughout the trip;
• the comfortable air-conditioned transport, requiring payment roads and parking lots;
• transfer in and to Mexico City;
• entrance fees to museums and archaeological sites, boat rental, according to the program.

Additional charges:

• flights;
• optional excursions and personal expenses;
• tips to the porters, maids, driver and a guide;
• late check-out (if necessary).

Attention!

Having health insurance is obligatory!

Hotels can be changed for the hotels of the same category and diet.

In case of reservation DBL +EXB or TRPL many hotels in Mexico provide only two beds queen size!

In the excursion program we recommend you to reserve DBL + SNGL!

* The National Palace is not always open to the public.

Mexico Experts Travel reserves the right to miss a visit to the Palace on the occasion of the events in the Zocalo, official visits and other circumstances that may affect the closing of the palace.

It is possible to extend the tour for the rest on the coast – on your request.

Please contact our managers for information of hotels reserving.