Life In A Pueblo Magico

Immersive Cultural Journey To Mexico

Colonial Mexico & the North, Mexico City & Around, Pacific Coast

Duration: 10 nights

Price: From £5,750 per person in low season based on two adults travelling together and including all flights in economy class, accommodation, some meals, experiences as stated, private transfers and taxes

Mexico has long been a point of fascination for culture vultures of all stripes, having been a crossroads for different cultures and civilisations for millennia. Some of these are well documented, like the Mayans, Aztecs and the Spanish conquistadors; others less so, and there is no end of mysterious ruins and traditional villages to explore away from the tourist crowds. This itinerary is perfect for any would-be anthropologists, history buffs, or anyone interested in Mexican culture who wants to explore it in more depth.

You’ll begin in the capital, Mexico City, where Catholic cathedrals are built upon Aztec temples in an explicit illustration of the country’s history of cultural collision, and where you can visit the home of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. You’ll then explore Purepecha indigenous culture in the highland town of Patzcuaro, visiting the ‘pueblo magico’ of Santa Clara del Cobre, before finishing up with some beachfront relaxation in the beautiful fishing village of Zihuatanejo.

Perfect forAnyone itching to learn more about Mexican culture.

In the knowConsider extending your trip to include a visit to Chichen Itza, perhaps Mexico’s most potent cultural symbol.

Best for

History & Heritage
Cultural Immersion
Off the Beaten Track
Repeat

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Itinerary details

3 nightsMEXICO CITY

There’s no better place to start your immersive cultural journey to Mexico than the capital, Mexico City. The centre of the country’s cultural life for centuries, this place is a melting pot of Mesoamerican, colonial and revolutionary history, and it wears them all on its sleeve. A guided tour will take you to the city’s historic centre, built on the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan; the Spanish conquistadors even built their cathedral on the site of an important temple. You'll also visit the important Mesoamerican site of Teotihuacan, where your guide will teach you all about Aztec life and mythology. Having worked up an appetite, enjoy a taco and mezcal tasting tour, and spend an evening watching traditional Mexican wrestling.

Also on the agenda is a visit to artist Frida Kahlo’s house, Casa Azul, or Blue House, which is now a museum showcasing her colourful life and work, where you can see her distinctive outfits, jewellery and personal mementos as well as her art.

Your home for three nights in Mexico City is La Valise, a stylish boutique hotel in the trendy Colonia Roma district.

3 nightsPATZCUARO

The next stop on your journey is Patzcuaro, a drive of around four hours from Mexico City. Patzcuaro has a strong indigenous feel, having been founded a couple of centuries before the arrival of the Spanish; it’s a pleasant town, with cobbled streets lined with adobe-walled, red-roofed houses. On a guided tour, you’ll visit the home of folk artist Mario Agutine Gaspar, and Santa Clara del Cobre, a Purepecha indigenous village named a ‘pueblo magico’ by the Mexican government, home to skilled copper and silver artisans.

The next day, you’ll visit another indigenous community at Janitzio, famous for their bright traditional costumes, and the Tzintzuntzan archaeological site, the seat of the vast Purepecha Empire.

You’ll spend three nights in Patzcuaro at Casa de la Real Aduana, a luxurious boutique hotel housed in a restored 16^th-century manor house.

4 nightsZIHUATANEJO

The final stop on your cultural journey through Mexico is Zihuatanejo, around three hours’ drive away. A former fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, it’s here to which Andy Dufresne dreamed of escape in the Hollywood classic The Shawshank Redemption, and it’s not hard to see why: its beaches are beautiful, and the cobbled streets of the historic town are packed with restaurants, boutiques and artists’ workshops.

You’ll spend four nights at Viceroy Zihuatanejo, a collection of beautiful casitas spread across 1000ft of private beach. It’s a fantastic place to do little more than lie on the sand, dive or snorkel, or spot sea turtles during the nesting season. If you still haven’t satisfied your cultural curiosity, head to the indigenous town of Petatlan, or the pre-Columbian archaeological site of La Soledad de Maciel.