Mexico City and Oaxaca
Learn and wonder on an adventure filled with opportunities to take in historical sites, lectures, sumptuous food, and breathtaking art, architecture, and archaeology.
Overview
From Frida Kahlo to Oaxacan markets
Delve into the vibrant art and culture of Mexico City and Oaxaca with history professor and prize-winning author Ana Raquel Minian. Visit the home of Frida Kahlo, explore ancient Aztec sites, and wander the halls of the National Museum of Anthropology, which houses the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican art. We’ll marvel at several of Diego Rivera’s murals and learn about the street art of the city’s Roma Norte district, a powerful voice for the city’s youth. In Oaxaca, we’ll dine at one of Alice Waters’ favorite restaurants.
Throughout the trip, we’ll meet with local artisans, visit community and art projects, and hear from guest speakers on a variety of topics including Mexican muralism and the country’s controversial leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Dates
September 4–12, 2024Duration
9 daysPrice
From $6,995 per person
Trip size
34 participantsMinimum age
18 yearsFaculty leader
A different kind of classroom
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Ana Raquel Minian
History
An associate professor in the department of history, Ana Raquel offers classes on Latinx history, immigration, histories of incarceration and detention, and modern Mexican history.
Itinerary
Politics, culture, and cuisine in Mexico
Delve into the rich history of Mexico’s art, from Mesoamerican figures to contemporary works, during visits to museums and galleries. Venturing outside Mexico City and Oaxaca, behold the magnificent archaeological sites of Teotihuacán and Monte Alban. We’ll sample both traditional dishes and the latest in Mexican gastronomy and hear from artists, academics, and journalists on a wide range of topics.
Mexico City, Mexico
Gather this evening with fellow travelers for a welcome dinner in our hotel.
Accommodations:Hyatt Regency Polanco
Included meal: DinnerMexico City and Teotihuacán
Examine Mexico City’s foundations and colonial past during a walking tour this morning. See Templo Mayor, one of the main temples of Tenochtitlan and the former capital of the Aztec empire, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, the first and largest cathedral in the Americas. We also visit the Palace of Fine Arts with its immense murals by world-famous artists, including Rufino Tamayo and Diego Rivera. Lastly, visit the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, home to one of his most famous works, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central. After lunch, drive to Teotihuacán, a large and majestic archaeological site just outside the city. Marvel at beautiful murals and carvings and wander among the large pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon. Tonight, dine in the restaurant of acclaimed chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita.
Accommodations:Hyatt Regency Polanco
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinnerMexico City
Begin our day with a panel discussion on Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) moderated by Liliana Frankel, an American Mexico City–based reporter and translator. We then visit the National Museum of Anthropology with its massive Mesoamerican artifact collection. After lunch, meet with staff at the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez Centre for Human Rights (Centro Prodh), a non-profit civil association working to promote structural changes to achieve human rights in Mexico. En route back to the hotel stop at the Ciudadela Market where hundreds of stands offer Mexican handcrafts and folk art.
Accommodations:Hyatt Regency Polanco
Included meals: Breakfast and lunchMexico City
This morning, meet with Lynda Martinez del Campo, a cultural historian, writer, and university professor for a talk on Mexican Muralism. Continue to the Museum of Folk Art for a curator-led tour. After lunch, we take a walking tour with Street Art Chilango, a group dedicated to documenting the urban art, graffiti, and murals in Mexico City.
Accommodations:Hyatt Regency Polanco
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinnerMexico City
Spend the morning at the Museo Jumex, which houses one of Latin America's largest private contemporary art collections including works by Andy Warhol, Martin Kippenberger, Cy Twombly, and Damien Hirst. Enjoy lunch overlooking bustling Coyoacán Plaza, then visit the final residence of Frida Kahlo, now known as the Museo Casa Azul. Continue to Casa Pedregal, one of the greatest Modernist masterpieces of Mexico, designed by Luis Barragán. The rest of the afternoon and evening are at leisure for independent exploration.
Accommodations:Hyatt Regency Polanco
Included meals: Breakfast and lunchMexico City / Oaxaca
We catch an early morning flight to Oaxaca and spend the remainder of the day exploring the city’s folk art. Begin with a drive to San Bartolo Coyotepec, a Zapotec town famous for producing barro negro, a polished black pottery. Visit the home of famed ceramic artist Carlomagno Pedro Martinez and the State Museum of Popular Art of Oaxaca (MEAPO). After lunch, continue to a workshop in San Martín Tilcajete to see the creation of alebrijes, the fancifully painted wooden animals that represent spirits in Zapotec culture. Return to Oaxaca, stopping at the Convento de Cuilapam, where revolutionary Mexican independence leader General Vincente Guerrero was killed by firing squad in 1831. Back in Oaxaca, meet with Oliver Frohling, co-founder and director of SURCO, a center for autonomous education and local activism.
Accommodations:Grand Fiesta America Oaxaca
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinnerOaxaca
After breakfast, depart on foot for the church of Santo Domingo and on to the San Pablo Center, housed in a 16th-century Dominican monastery, stopping along the way to try tejate, a ceremonial drink of cacao, corn, cinnamon, and mamey fruit. For lunch, drive to Itanoní Antojeria y Tortilleria, a favorite of Alice Waters, where heirloom corn varieties are used to make extraordinary versions of antojitos, the corn tortilla-based small dishes that are the heart of the Mexican menu. Continue to the Vida Nueva Women’s Weaving Cooperative to meet with its founders, see how natural dyes are made, and watch a weaving demonstration. Stop at a mezcal distillery before returning to Oaxaca.
Accommodations:Grand Fiesta America Oaxaca
Included meals: Breakfast and lunchOaxaca
Today, venture to Monte Albán to tour this ancient Zapotec metropolis that was founded in the 6th century BCE. Explore the terraces, pyramids, and canals that extend over some four miles. Return to Oaxaca for an afternoon at leisure before gathering to toast our journey at a farewell dinner.
Accommodations:Grand Fiesta America Oaxaca
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinnerOaxaca / Home
Depart for the airport to catch homeward bound flights.
Included meal: Breakfast
Trip details
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Pricing
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The price of your trip covers a comprehensive educational program in addition to meals, accommodations, tours and excursions. Continue reading for a full list of what’s included.
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