The Colonial Cities Patzcuaro · Morelia · Santa Clara del Cobre · Guanajuato · San Miguel de Allende · Queretaro July 7-16, 2006

It doesn’t get any better than these showpieces of Spanish colonial art and architecture. Nestled in the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Madres, they were among the first founded by the Spaniards in the 16th century, and remain almost unchanged since colonial times. In Toluca the Vitral Botanical Garden has, not just great plants, but unique stained glass ceilings and walls. Metepec is where you’ll meet two of Mexico’s most famous Trees of Life artisans, Oscar Soteno Elias and Alfonso Soteno. By late afternoon you’ll hear Indians speaking their native languages when we explore the Tarazcan Indian city of Patzquaro. We see the not-to-be-missed the Museo Regional de Artes Populares, the House of the Eleven Patios and the vibrant market. In the evening the viejitos come out to dance and, believe me, you’ll laugh heartily. At Parangaricutiro, prepare yourself for a most amazing sight when you go on horseback (or take the picturesque one hour hike) to Paricutin, the now extinct volcano. When you see the upper half of the Church of Angajuan, protruding from a 10 mile sea of lava that buried two towns, you’ll know why it is one of the seven modern wonders of the world. At Telares Uruapan, our hosts, Bundy and Walter Illsley, will show us the thread by thread warping and harnessing techniques they use in the making of their tapestries, bedspreads and table cloths with fascinating turn-of-the-century machinery. In his workshop in Santa Clara del Cobre Ignacio Punzo Angel and his sons will demonstration how they forge, hammer and shape their stunning copper and silver vessels from recycled scrap metal. We’ll swing by the village of Erongariquaro to see artisans making furniture and art objects that are re-lacquered in more stages than the average Rolls Royce’s paint job as lacquer, design and wood become one. In the village of Toquaro we’ll see Juan Orta’s first prize-winning masks. We haven’t forgotten about your tummy. Las Mercedes, in the regal city of Morelia, is but one of the many great restaurants we’ll be eating in. Morelia’s colonial buildings made of the region’s pinkish-golden stone and her lovely squares exemplify the Spanish colonial style of the 17th and 18th centuries. Beguiling? Mysterious? Mindboggling? All are apt descriptions of Guanajuato, the old mining town that once supplied a third of the world’s silver. In this mountainous city of subterranean tunnels and labyrinthine streets we get our history lesson: at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas you’ll learn how Mexico won it’s independence from Spain, about the leadership of Benito Juarez, the execution of Emperor Maximillian and the 35 year long dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. You’ll also learn about Diego Rivera’s boyhood years when we visit his first home. We’ll have yet another exceptional lunch at El Conde de Valencia and pay a visit to the 18th c. Templo de San Cayetano. You’ll see Gorky Gonzalez’s beautiful Majolica ceramics. A drive up the hill to the monument of El Pípila, where the whole city unfolds below u, will provide us with an exceptional photo op. San Miguel de Allende is a center for writers and artists, and is also noted for its well preserved historic treasures. It’s a small town with a sophisticated cosmopolitan flavor and an international array of fine restaurants. We’ll have show and tell sessions with some of San Miguel’s, and indeed, Mexico’s, best fine artists, when we drop by their homes and studios. You’ll tour San Miguel’s famous art school, Instituto Allende, and enjoy an Italian dinner at Sylvia’s L’Invito. And, of course, you’ll have some free time to shop (we’ll provide you with a list of great shops), explore on your own or simply relax. We’ll enter Querétaro on a boulevard lined with an immense still functioning 16th c. aqueduct and lunch in the spectacular 18th c. mansion, Casa de La Marquesa. We’ll explore the historic center stopping at the Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo with unusual flying buttresses on the outside and magnificent Baroque retablos on the inside. A special chamber houses life-size sculptures of Christ and the twelve apostles. Alas, our adventure in the colonial cities has ended, but you’ll come away with such fond memories. The price is: $2,395 for double occupancy and $2,895 for single.

To request information or arrange a CUSTOM ART AND CULTURE TOUR, send an E-mail or call:

Jean Grimm Art and Culture Tours 1233 E Baker Drive, Tempe AZ 85282 Tel: 480-730-1764, 1-888-783-1331 Fax: 480-730 1496 E-mail: jgrimtours@aznetgate.net