Jean Grimm's Mexican Art and Culture Tours

Yucatan Tour

Pyramids & Haciendas

8 Days, December 10 to December 17, 2010

Mexico's lush Yucatan Peninsula is a tropical paradise filled with ancient ruins, and colonial architecture. You will learn the traditions of the ancient as well as the contemporary Maya when you explore various archaeological sites, tour several cities, visit beautiful haciendas, and savor the delicious regional cuisine.

You will visit the archaeological sites of:

Tulum, perched high on a cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and the surrounding jungle;

Coba, one of the grandest of the Mayan ruins;

Chichen Itza, which incorporates ancient Mayan and Toltec cultures, Chichen’s Sound and Light show, and its Cenote Sagrada;

The ruins of Dzibilchaltun, a major city of the early Maya, and its excellent museum of Maya and Spanish artifacts;

Uxmal along the Puuc Route; and the impressive site of Ek Balam.

Visit several haciendas:

Hacienda Yaxcopoil with European furniture and a Mayan museum;

Hacienda Ochil chosen where a summit meeting between President Bill Clinton and Presidente Ernesto Zedillo was held in 1999;

Hacienda Katanchel with artisan workshops, and an old henequen factory.

In Merida visit:

Catedral de San Ildefonso which was built by Mayan laborors of stones taken from pyramids;

The Governor's Palace to view Fernando Castro Pacheco’s impressive murals;

Museo de Arte Contemporaneo to view works by contemporary Yucatecan artists;

Bazaar de las Artesanias;

Centro Cultural de Merida Olimpio; see opulent 19th century mansions on Paseo Montejo;

Visit Casa Montejo, once a palace, now a bank;

And Palacio Canton.

In Valladolid, Yucatan's oldest city, see districts that have preserved the colonial character of the mid-1500s, and the beautifully restored Franciscan Monastery San Bernardino de Siena.

In Izamal, a lovely colonial city see some of its seven major Maya pyramids and a statue of Pope John Paul commemorating his 1993 visit to Izamal.

You will also dine in fabulous restaurants.

Cost: Double occupancy: $2,295. Single occupancy: $2,595. Airfare not included.