Discover Mexico - Day of the Dead (Oaxaca)

Welcome to Mexico City, one of the most exciting capitals in the world and known for its layers of Aztec, colonial, and modern history. Today is all about settling into the hotel and city, as we have our welcome briefing tomorrow morning. Want more time in Mexico City? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Come together this morning for our welcome briefing, where your tour leader outlines the journey ahead and answers any questions. We then visit two of Mexico City’s most important museums: the Museo Nacional de Historia, housed in Chapultepec Castle, and the National Museum of Anthropology, whose collections provide essential context for the civilisations we’ll encounter throughout the trip. Turning to the city’s creative heart, we head south to Coyoacán, a district with deep pre-Hispanic roots and a long association with artists and intellectuals. Cobbled streets, shaded squares and colonial churches give it a distinctly different rhythm to the city centre. Subject to availability, we visit Casa Azul, the former home of Frida Kahlo. Preserved much as it was during her lifetime, the house offers insight into Kahlo’s work, her political ideas and her relationship with artist Diego Rivera. We round off the day with a welcome dinner at Azulísimo, where Chef Zurita has curated a menu based on traditional cuisine from the capital.

Explore the historic centre of Mexico City on foot, beginning at the Zócalo, once the ceremonial heart of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán and still the country’s main civic square. Nearby, we see the Metropolitan Cathedral, built directly over the ruins of the Templo Mayor, before finishing near the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a landmark of early-20th-century architecture. Food and craft traditions come into focus as we visit Mercado de San Juan, enjoying a small food tasting, and Mercado de la Ciudadela for handicrafts. Later, we travel south to Xochimilco, where we take a trajinera boat onto the canals – with a snack included. Cruising the waterways, we learn all about chinampas, ingenious floating gardens built by the Aztecs, some of which are still in use today.

Transfer (1hr 15min) to Teotihuacán, one of the most significant cities of ancient Mesoamerica. At its height, around 450 CE, it was among the largest urban centres in the world. With a local guide, we walk the Avenue of the Dead and explore the monumental Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, gaining insight into the city’s urban planning and enduring mysteries. Lunch is at La Catrina Restaurant before we continue (2hr 30min) to Puebla. Founded in the 16th century, Puebla became a key colonial centre linking Mexico City with the port of Veracruz. In the afternoon, we enjoy a guided city tour, including the Palafoxiana Library, founded in 1646 and widely regarded as the oldest public library in the Americas.

Begin at the Zapotitlán Botanical Garden, set within a semi-arid biosphere reserve known for its extraordinary diversity of cacti and desert plants. Lunch is at Itandehui Restaurant, known for its pre-Hispanic menu. We then drive (four hours) to Oaxaca, a UNESCO-listed city with a strong indigenous presence and a long tradition of craftsmanship. The historic centre is compact and walkable, with shaded streets, markets and important religious buildings clustered around the main square.

Our next exploration of Mexican history takes us to the Zapotecan site of Monte Albán. While the name dates to a 16th-century Spanish landowner, previous names come from the Mixtec word Sahandevul, meaning at the foot of the sky, or from the Zapotecan Danibaan, meaning sacred mountain. In 500 BCE, the Zapotecans moved into the Oaxaca region and began the monumental task of levelling the top of a 5,250ft (1,600m) high mountain that intersects and divides three valleys. Here they built the city of Monte Albán with a maze of subterranean passageways, rooms, drainage and water-storage systems. We later return to Oaxaca and visit the Museum of Cultures Santo Domingo. Later, we take part in the Day of the Dead parade.

Spend today uncovering the beliefs and history of the Day of the Dead. It starts with a typical breakfast in either Tlacolula or 20 de Noviembre market, where we experience the market on this special occasion, when altars are set up for the festivities. This afternoon, we join a family in their home to sample regional dishes, learn some of the Zapotec language and see their Day of the Dead shrine. We then return to Oaxaca and explore the cobbled streets, vibrant squares and churches of the historic city. Later we will visit a graveyard at night, listening to brass bands and watching the entire town fill the cemetery to decorate the graves of their loved ones.

Our final day starts with a visit to Chichén Itzá. Having spent the night near the site, we can get in early before the day-trippers arrive from the beach resorts. Chichén Itzá served as the political and economic centre of the Maya civilisation and thrived from around 600 CE to 1200 CE. The pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars and the Great Ball Court can still be seen today and demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to architecture, space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and possibly greatest, of all Maya pyramids. This afternoon, we drive about three hours to Cancún airport, where the tour ends. Want more time in Cancun? Secure post-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Please note: The group transfer back to Cancún is scheduled to align with a chosen flight; therefore, you should not book flights leaving before then. Please contact your sales representative for the timings of this flight.