22| Mexico City + Oaxaca + Extension Playa Del Carmen | 15 Days – 14 Nights
Picturesque, full of folklore and traditions, this journey will be a welcome carpet to the most representative sites of Pre-Hispanic Mexico and Colonial Mexico. Many of the cities of Mexico are distinguished for being a mixture between what was pre-Hispanic Mexico and Colonial Mexico, throughout the country you will find a mix of colonial buildings and churches and, on the other hand, hidden among the jungle, you will find archaeological sites with huge pyramids and ancient cultures that fight day by day to preserve themselves. In this extended tour, you…
Picturesque, full of folklore and traditions, this journey will be a welcome carpet to the most representative sites of Pre-Hispanic Mexico and Colonial Mexico. Many of the cities of Mexico are distinguished for being a mixture between what was pre-Hispanic Mexico and Colonial Mexico, throughout the country you will find a mix of colonial buildings and churches and, on the other hand, hidden among the jungle, you will find archaeological sites with huge pyramids and ancient cultures that fight day by day to preserve themselves. In this extended tour, you will visit Mexico City and Puebla and discover indications of what the Spanish conquest was and how a totally new culture was set-up on homes, temples and ceremonial squares to evangelize great indigenous civilizations. In contrast, you will find the lively glow of an Indian culture that struggles to preserve its folklore, customs and traditions with the passage of time.
Monuments / Attractions Envisaged
Mexico City: National Palace, The Metropolitan Cathedral, Tenochtitlan Templo Mayor Pyramids, National Anthropology Museum, Teotihuacan Pyramids, Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine.
Cholula: Great Pyramid of Cholula.
Puebla: Sightseeing on the City.
Oaxaca: Temple of Santo Domingo, Oaxaca Regional Museum, Oaxaca Markets, Ancient Tule Tree, Cuilapam Roofless Convent.
Archeological Sites: Mitla, Monte Alban, Atzompa.
Playa del Carmen: Sightseeing on the City.
Accommodation Overview
As part of the Mexico City – Puebla – Oaxaca tour you will be staying at a selection of four star hotels.
Equipped with modern day facilities, these hotels are known to offer the utmost care and comfort along with high standards of service.
Accommodation for your tour will be as described below, at the following property:
4 Nights at Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar in Mexico City on Bed and Breakfast basis.
3 Nights at Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* or Similar in Oaxaca on Bed and Breakfast basis.
7 Nights at Sian Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* or Similar in Playa del Carmen on Bed and Breakfast basis.
Hotel Royal Reforma 4* – An executive hotel that combines comfort and service in a perfect way, it is distinguished by its 100% safety contemporary facilities and its strategic location between 3 of the most important avenues in Mexico City and which places it in the main financial area, near of the best entertainment and recognized shopping centers.
Hotel Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* –Located a few minutes from the Oaxaca Zocalo, Hotel Mision San Felipe offers a wide range of services and amenities that will fulfill all your needs. Here you will find perfect spots to relax yourself after a busy day, from a restaurant full of mexican flavors, a refreshing outdoor pool and rooms designed for maximum comfort.
Hotel Sian 4* Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* – With an strategic location in Playa Del Carmen, each property is located in the main area of the City, just a few steps from the 5th Avenue which is the principal touristic area, near of shops, restaurants, bars, Mayan culture entertainment and local nightlife. Here you will find comfortable and elegantly furnished rooms reflecting the nature and with a minimalist decor.
* Please note that should accommodation in the above listed hotel not be available at the time of your visit we will offer a similar standard.
Board Basis (Meal Plan) & Included Services
Welcome greeting at the airport in Mexico City, Oaxaca and Cancun.
Flight tickets: Mexico City to Oaxaca and Oaxaca to Cancun
Transportation in air conditioned vehicles.
English speaking guide during the days of the tour.
14 nights accommodation at the hotel mentioned above in DBL occupancy.
Daily breakfast at all the above hotel.
Visits mentioned in the itinerary, including entrance fees to the archaeological sites.
Government taxes.
Exclusions
Expenses of personal nature like tipping, laundry, telephone/fax calls, alcoholic/non- alcoholic beverages, camera/video camera fee at monuments, medical expenses, airport taxes, any insurance etc.
Any meals other than the mentioned.
Gratuities in hotel (maids and bell boys).
Gratuities during the excursions (tour guide & driver).
Information
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Departure/Starting CityMexico City
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Hotels during TourHotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar (Mexico City) | Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* or Similar (Oaxaca) | Hotel Sian Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* or Similar (Playa del Carmen)
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Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City
Welcome at Mexico City International airport and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis
Day 2: Mexico City. City Tour & Anthropology Museum
After an included breakfast, you board a Mexico City guided tour visiting major attractions. We start where it all began, at the Zocalo. You will see the National Palace with an extended series of mural paintings that show a graphic evolution of the history of the country which were painted by Diego Rivera. The Metropolitan Cathedral, the oldest and largest cathedral in Latin America, is a spectacular building intended to distract the Aztec people from their own previous believes and convert them to the new religion. Right behind the Cathedral you can find the “Tenochtitlan Templo Mayor Pyramids” which were part of the big ceremonial center of the Aztecs. Templo Mayor was not only the most visible sight of an immense aborigine urban complex, but also represented the cosmic center of the universe for the Aztecs. You will drive by the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a 19th Century all white marble building functioning as a theater as well as an art museum, with many fine sculptures. To get a feeling of the city you will drive along the Paseo de la Reforma Avenue which was inspired by the “Champs Elysees” of Paris until you reach and visit the National Anthropology Museum, the largest in its type in the world.
Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis
Day 3: Mexico City – Cholula – Puebla – Mexico City
After breakfast you will depart to a day tour visiting Puebla, considered by the UNESCO as mankin's heritage, excellent mixture of prehispanic culture and colonial city. Your first stop will be at the archaeological site of Cholula. Cholula was second only to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City), possibly with a population of up to 100,000. The great city stood at the foot of what appears to be an earthen hill that is, in fact, the largest pyramid ever built, covering over 46 acres and spanning an incredible 405 meters on each side. In addition to this great construction dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the city had a reported 365 temples. After taking the city during the Spanish Conquest, Hernan Cortes vowed that it would be rebuilt with a Christian church to replace each of the old pagan temples; less than 50 new churches were actually built, but the Spanish colonial churches are unusually numerous for a city of its size. Cholula is actually divided into eighteen neighborhoods or barrios, each with a patron saint. Continue to Puebla de los Angeles to see the City Highlights. Nicknamed “The Shrine of America” due to its architectural beauty, the city of Puebla was, according to legend, created and laid-out by angels, to be enjoyed by mortals. The city received this distinction for its magnificent monuments of Spanish colonial architecture, which have earned Puebla the distinction of Heritage City. Because it is a religious center par excellence, the Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza was the first place where the Spanish conquerors settled in the region. In Puebla you can visit its central streets among buildings, façades, gardens and balconies which reflect the history and the passing years. After free time for lunch, you will return to Mexico City.
Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 300 km
Day 4: Mexico City – Guadalupe Shrine - Teotihuacan – Mexico City
After breakfast you will take a guided excursion to the outstanding Teotihuacan Pyramids, starting with a visit to the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine. This church is a place of pilgrimage for millions of Mexicans and followers from all over the world. The day will then dedicate a visit to the ancient archaeological zone of Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City. This was the Toltec-Aztec ceremonial center of Teotihuacan, an archeological site with buildings bigger and as impressive or more, as the Egyptian pyramids. These monumental buildings where constructed by Toltec architects, a very advanced culture dominated by the Aztecs before the colonization of Mexico. You will see its impressive Toltec pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon, the Quetzalcoatl Temple and the fortresses, the largest monuments of their type in the world.
Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 105 km
Day 5: Mexico City – Flight to Oaxaca
Transfer from the Hotel to Mexico City International Airport to board a flight to Oaxaca. Arrival in Oaxaca and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon we will do a City Tour. You will find culture, history, and excellent souvenir shopping on this guided tour of the city of Oaxaca. Explore by foot the Zócalo (town square) and city center and visit the Temple of Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Oaxaca Regional Museum located in its former convent. Wander the stalls of 20 de Noviembre and Benito Juarez, two of Oaxaca’s most popular markets, and pick up woven goods, crafts and tasty snacks like chocolates and chilies.
Overnight in Oaxaca | Hotel Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 470 km
Day 6: Oaxaca – Santa María del Tule – Mitla – Oaxaca
Get to know one of the natural wonders: One of the most extraordinary natural beauties is the gigantic Sabino called “El Arbol del Tule”, it has a height of 40 meters, a diameter of 52.58 meters, a weight of 509 tons and approximately 2000 years old. We will continue towards the archaeological zone of Mitla, unrivaled beautiful for its varied ornamentation of its buildings, achieved through the system of geometric designs that makes it unique from the rest of the country. Mitla is notable for the detailed and well-preserved geometric stonework that decorates the buildings. The setting is pretty, with a cactus garden and shaded benches. From the ruins you can see the domed Church of San Pablo, built in the 16th century when the Spanish pillaged stones from Mitla. The name Mitla comes from the Náhuatl word Mictlan, which means place of the dead or underworld. An ancient ceremonial center, Mitla includes two cross-shaped tombs, a promenade of hefty stone columns, and an elevated suite of ornately decorated rooms that were once occupied by the Zapotec high priest. Although theories on the subject differ, Mitla was likely built by the Zapotecs, occupied by the Mixtecs, reclaimed by the Zapotecs, and finally conquered by the Aztecs, who took control in 1494. To conclude our tour, we will visit a Mezcal Distillery. Return to Oaxaca.
Overnight in Oaxaca | Hotel Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 115 km
Day 7: Oaxaca – Monte Albán – Atzompa – Cuilapam – Oaxaca
Today we will start visiting the archeological site of Monte Albán, which was the capital in its time, of the Zapotec Empire which before the Spaniards was overtaken by the Mixtecas, another group of intensive builders and warriors. In its time, Monte Alban gathered up to 35,000 inhabitants. Investigators studying Monte Alban's outstanding architecture, the buildings, burials, ceramics and jewelry, divided Monte Alban in five different stages. Starting 500 BC until 1521 when the Spanish Conquerors arrived. It´s peak is considered between 350 and 750 A.D. Over 180 tombs have been opened, since the first one. Tomb No. 7 was the one that started the whole recovery of Monte Alban. This happening started out the archeological conciseness in Mexico, which initiated in 1932. There are many inscriptions and carvings on their Monuments. Monte Alban is on an artificially flattened plateau, there is a great plaza, which is the nucleus of the compound. The buildings stretch out harmoniously. There are remarkable slabs showing relieves of human figures known as “Danzantes” (the dancers). Around the ball game court several burial sites have been found with rich treasures, such as the splendid offerings. From the heights of this settlement, there are spectacular views over the surrounding valleys and the city of Oaxaca. Completed our visit, we will continue to the monumental complex of Atzompa, possibly founded in the year 650 and abandoned in 850, exhibits a nucleus divided into four main terraces. Within the area, 438 habitational terraces, 30 mounds, 13 plazas, a shrine, and 3 ball courts have been located and documented, one of which measures 45 m long and 22 m wide. Its 2 palaces, the Casa Oriente and the House of the Altars, its 8 housing units and rock quarry sectors for the construction of the site, make this set the second largest in the Central Valleys. The ruins of Atzompa on the top of Cerro El Bonete, are located 8 kilometers north of Monte Alban, in the town of Santa María Atzompa near the city of Oaxaca. This town is famous for its festivals of calends, its glazed green ceramic pottery and large earthenware pots for celebrations, called apaxtles. Residences of high social society, housing units, plazas, among other architectural wonders are in the Atzompa archaeological Site, to which only a few have taken the opportunity to explore. Afterwards we will continue our visit to the community of Cuilapam de Guerrero, which is home to an ex-convent with a difference, it has no roof! Cuilapam de Guerrero is located about 30 minutes driving from Oaxaca City. The ex-convent is set in large peaceful grounds just of the main road that runs through Cuilapam, and it is possible to walk out onto the roof. The actual church of Cuilapam’s ex-convent is relatively small, but the convent section and the roofless open chapel part of the complex are reasonably large. It is possible to walk around Cuilapam’s cloisters, where there are fresco paintings dating from the sixteenth century. Return to Oaxaca.
Overnight in Oaxaca | Hotel Mision San Felipe Oaxaca 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 40 km
Day 8: Oaxaca – Flight to Cancun – Playa del Carmen.
Transfer from the Hotel to Oaxaca Airport to board a flight to your beach destination. Arrival in Cancun, pickup at the airport and transfer to hotel in Playa del Carmen.
Overnight in Playa del Carmen | Selected Hotel 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis
Day 9 -14: Playa del Carmen
Days at leisure.
Overnight in Playa del Carmen | Selected Hotel 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis
Day 15: Playa del Carmen - Cancun International Airport
Departure transfer to Cancun Airport.
Overnight in Playa del Carmen | Selected Hotel 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 1715 km
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