Mexico City Days of the Dead Brochure for Jean Grimm's Mexican Art and Culture Tours

Art Culture Crafts Architecture Archaeology History

Days of the Dead

In and around Mexico City
Days of the Dead events in Mixquic
Special emphasis on Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera
Two days in and around Puebla
A day in Cuernavaca

October 25 to November 3, 2008

Overview of Days of the Dead

Halloween was never like this – cempasúchiles (flowers of the dead) decorate artistic altars; fascinating Dias de los Muertos rituals combine Aztec and Christian traditions; parades and ceremonies honor the return of the departed souls. The village of Mixquic, once a farming island of the Aztec empire, now a district of Mexico City, holds one of the most outstanding and emotional Days of the Dead celebrations. In Mexico City, where the archaic coexists with the modern and the contemporary, you will see Diego Rivera’s best murals, and some of Frida Kahlo’s best paintings, as well as magnificent architecture, world class museums, colorful markets and Dia de los Muertos installations and alters (truly, works of art), and you will attend a performance of the Ballet Folklorico de México. You will visit a beautiful hacienda in Huejotzingo with one of the top art collections in the world. In Cholula, Puebla and Cuernavaca you’ll visit some of Mexico’s most remarkable churches. You’ll also visit a unique museum in Cuernavaca and dine in some of Mexico’s finest restaurants.

COST     Double occupancy: $2,395 per person
              Single occupancy $2,895 per person
     Airfare is not included

We encourage you to sign up for this unique travel opportunity without delay as space is limited.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Phone: 1-480-730-1764
Toll-free: 1-888-783-1331

Days of the Dead Itinerary
October - November 2008

DAY 1 Friday Arrive in Mexico City, transfer to your hotel and meet your fellow travelers over cocktails and dinner. D.

DAY 2 Saturday Spend the day in The Centro Historico. Begin with breakfast at The House of Tiles. View one of Diego Rivera’s best murals, Dream of Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park at Museo Mural Diego Rivera. Visit the National Palace, and the Ministry of Public Education to see some of Diego Rivera’s finest murals depicting the history of Mexico. View the Zocalo’s creative Days of the Dead displays and the Templo Mayor, a major Aztec site in the heart of Mexico City, not known until workmen discovered it in 1978 while digging for the subway, as well as The Metropolitan Cathedral, begun in 1525, and not finished until 1813. Because its completion took such a long time, it is a mix of four styles: Classical, Baroque, Churrigueresque and Neo-Classical. After lunch in Café Tacuba, visit Palacio de Bellas Artes, a beautiful structure built of Carrara marble which houses murals by Mexico’s most famous muralists, including Rivera’s controversial mural painted for Rockefeller Center in New York, but destroyed by Nelson Rockefeller because of its communist content. Then visit MAP (Museo de Arte Popular) a new museum of Mexican Crafts, in a dazzling recently restored Art Deco structure. Take a few minutes to shop in the museum’s excellent gift shop. B, L.

DAY 3 Sunday On the way to Chapultepec Park tour Colonia Polanco, the Beverly Hills of Mexico City. In Chapultepec, a natural forest of ancient willows, ash trees, oaks and ahuehuetes (Mexican coniferous trees), stop at Rio Lerma Waterworks to see Diego Rivera’s Fuente de Tlaloc and his under water murals. Visit Chapultepec Castle, former home of the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian, for a panoramic view of Mexico City. Next, visit one of the world’s top museums, Museo de Anthropologia, and have lunch in its elegant cafeteria. The remainder of the afternoon is free. We meet AT 8:00 P.M. to attend an 8:30 performance of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico in the auditorium of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The stage’s glass-mosaic curtain, weighing 22 tons was designed by Dr. Atl, and made by Tiffany's of New York. B, L.

DAY 4 Monday Visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, built on the exact spot where the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego in 1531. It was begun in 1531 and completed in 1709. Also visit the modern basilica, built from 1974 to 1976. At Teotihuacan, explore the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. Learn about the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, and walk down The Avenue of the Dead. Have lunch at Teotihuacan and see a demonstration of how pulque, the Aztec drink of the Gods, is made. View the exquisite Plateresquel façade of the Augustinian monastery of Acolman. Then, drive to Chapingo, The National School of Agriculture, to see Diego Rivera’s earliest murals. Return to the hotel to freshen up, and then we‘re off for the best margaritas and a gourmet Mexican dinner. B, D.

DAY 5 Tuesday Drive south-east to visit beautiful Hacienda Munive in Huetjotzingo, soon to be featured in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine. Here, see a private collection of contemporary Mexican art - one of Art News Top 200 -, as well as a unique showroom of furniture, much of it made from antique doors. Catch spectacular views of volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl. As we continue to Cholula, see the Cholula Pyramid, and visit two churches, Iglesia de Acatepec with a gorgeous Talavera tile façade; and Santa Maria Tonantzintla with a spectacular Indian-Churrigueresque interior. After a “cemita” lunch, witness a fascinating demonstration of how Talavera La Reyna’s wonderful pottery is made. Continue to Mexico’s Talavera capital, Puebla, with a wealth of colonial architecture embellished with richly colored Talavera tiles. Visit Talavera Uriarte, another great Talavera factory. Check into our hotel. Enjoy cocktails and gourmet dinner in a beautiful setting. B,D.

DAY 6 Wednesday Take a City tour of Puebla, stopping to see the grand collection of colonial art in the majestic cathedral (1649). Also visit the Iglesia de Santo Domingo (1611) with a stunning baroque chapel, Capilla del Rosario (1690). Visit the Santa Rosa Kitchen, where much of Mexican cuisine originated and the adjoining Santa Rosa Museum of Mexican Crafts. Also visit the 17th c. Biblioteca Palofoxiana, the oldest library in the Americas, containing original manuscripts dating back to the 16th century. Have lunch at Villa Rosa where you can try some mole Poblano. Visit the Amparo Museum with its priceless pieces of pre-Columbian art and artifacts and its excellent contemporary art exhibits, and walk along la Calle de los Dulces to see the Dia de Muertos Sugar skulls and chocolate coffins. B,L.

DAY 7 Thursday Drive to Cuernavaca. On a walking tour see the Cathedral Complex: the stark fortress-like Cathedral de la Asunción begun in 1633; the Baroque Chapel of the Third Order; and beautiful Japanese style murals discovered in the 1950’s during restoration. In the Plaza de Armas the gazebo is designed by Gustave Eiffel, who designed the Eiffel Tower. Lunch is in the beautiful garden of Las Mañanitas. Visit Museo de Cuauhnahuac, one of the former homes of Hernan Cortes. The main attraction here is Riviera’s epic mural featuring Emiliano Zapata and his white horse, commissioned by Dwight R. Morrow, U.S. ambassador to Mexico in the 1920s and the father of Ann Morrow Lindberg. Next visit the Robert Brady Museum, formerly a beautiful private home, with works of art from all over the world. We’ll have a happy hour margarita or wine and hors d’ouvres as we take a guided tour of the wonderful collection. Drive back to Mexico City. B, L, happy hour and hors d’ouvres.

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DAY 8 Friday Visit Diego Rivera’s unique Anahuacalli Museum, made of Lava rock, containing Rivera’s pre-Columbian collection, some of his drawings and a magnificent Dia de los Muertos altar. Visit the Dolores Olmedo Museum in a wonderful hacienda on beautiful grounds with roaming xoloitzcuintles (hairless Aztec dogs) and peacocks. Here, view paintings by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Ms. Olmedo’s apartment with opulent Chinese furnishings and the museum’s Dia de Muertos altars. After lunch continue to Mixquic, a village that has retained its rural ambiance as well as its ancient Aztec roots. Aztec rituals and Christian rites mingle when the bells from the old Augustian Convent ring at 4 PM calling for a procession to the cemetery. As darkness falls, the glow of thousands of candles illuminates the way for the return of the dead. B, L.

DAY 9 Saturday Today, we’re off to a late start. At noon, drive to the Universidad National Autónoma de Mexico to see Juan O’Gorman’s splendid mosaic murals. Visit Frida Kahlo’s famous Blue House and the Leon Trotsky Museum. View artistic Dia de Muertos alters when you stroll in the Plaza de Los Coyotes, where Frida shopped. Drive to the district of San Angel to view a baroque fountain made of broken pieces of porcelain in Centro Cultural Isidro Fabela, visit Museo Estudio Diego Rivera. And spend some time at Bazar Sabado, an outdoor/indoor market with everything from paintings to gorgeous jewelry. Our happy hour and going away dinner is in the charming San Angel Inn. B, D.

DAY 10 Sunday Transfer to the Mexico City Airport. B.

To book a tour, for more information,
or to design a custom tour, please contact:

Jean Grimm Mexican Art Tours
1233 East Baker Drive
Tempe AZ 85282-7282

1-888-783-1331

480-730-1764

jgrimtours@aznetgate.net

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