Tour Details

Join Travelian and an extraordinary expert guide for this stimulating art and history tour. This expedition has been carefully designed to share many of Diego Rivera’s works, visit the home of Frida Kahlo, and open our minds for a spectacular visit to the Museo Arte Contemporáneo.

Mexico has always been absorbed with art as a means to express political discourse, both in its fearless celebration of death and as a strong voice against corruption. This art and history tour will offer an opportunity to grasp the depth and complexity of Mexico’s uniqueness.

Diego Rivera, widely regarded as the most influential Mexican artist of the twentieth century, was truly a larger-than-life figure who spent significant periods of his career in Europe and the U.S., in addition to his native Mexico.  Together with David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco, Rivera was a founder and leading member of the Mexican Muralist movement.  He deployed a style influenced by European modern masters and influenced also by Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage.  In painting true frescoes, Rivera handled major themes appropriate to the scale of this chosen art form: social inequality, the relationship of nature, industry and technology, and the history and fate of Mexico.  More than half a century after his death, Rivera is still among the most revered figures in Mexico, celebrated for both his role in the country’s artistic renaissance and re-invigoration of the mural genre, as well as for his outsized persona.  Visit six of his major mural sites on this exploration.

Painter Frida Kahlo was a Mexican self-portrait artist who was married to Diego Rivera and is still admired as a feminist icon.  Artist Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyocoán, Mexico City, Mexico. Considered one of Mexico's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo began painting after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Kahlo later became politically active and married fellow communist artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She exhibited her paintings in Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954. Our tour includes visiting The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House for the structure's cobalt-blue walls, is a historic house museum and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

On our route back to San Miguel de Allende, venture into the ancient Teotihuacan Archeological site. After understanding Diego Rivera’s murals depicting his vision of early indigenous life in Mexico, visiting this site offers an astonishing experience and fuels a sense of wonder about Mexico’s ancient history.

Take in this dazzling art and history adventure while enjoying delicious cuisine at carefully chosen restaurants, and rest in style at our excellent hotel in the heart of the Mexico City’s Historic Center! Travel in comfort and safety with a small group of travelers with Travelian’s friendly professional guide for this peak art and history experience!

Itinerary - 5 Days

DAY 1 - DRIVE TO MEXICO CITY – VISIT CHAPINGO MURAL ENROUTE
6:45 am Meet at St. Paul’s Church and depart for Mexico City (Sack Breakfast provided en route). Arrive at Chapingo Mural site. Enjoy a picnic lunch (included). Drive to hotel in the Historic Center. Walk to nearby sites. Return to hotel. That evening meet in the hotel lobby and walk to dinner* at nearby restaurant.

DAY 2 - BARRAGAN AND Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
8:00 am Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Coyoacan for a guided tour of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's house. Enjoy lunch* in Coyoacan and drive to visit Diego Rivera’s Rio Lerma site. Drive to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo. Drive to dinner* at a casual restaurant in Polanco. Return to hotel.

DAY 3 - ZOCALO CENTRAL – MURALS, CUISINE AND MORE!
8:00 am Breakfast at hotel. Walk to the Zocalo and visit the first of Diego Rivera’s set of murals for the day. Walk to enjoy lunch* together. Leave for our second set of significant murals by Diego Rivera. Walk back to hotel to rest or continue exploring the area on your own. That evening, meet in hotel lobby and walk to dinner* at a nearby restaurant.

DAY 4 - ALAMEDA PARK – MURALS, MUSEUMS, AND ARCHITECTURE
8:00 am Breakfast at hotel. Walk to Alameda Park. Visit the Diego Rivera mural and surrounding area. Walk to lunch* at a nearby terrific restaurant. Walk across Alameda Park and visit our final Diego Rivera mural. After the tour travelers will have time to explore other museums or galleries in the area. Maps will be provided with interesting points of interest. Others may wish to walk back to the hotel visiting sites along the way. That evening meet in the hotel lobby and walk to dinner*.

DAY 5 - TEOTIHUACAN ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE, LUNCH, RETURN TO SAN MIGUEL
7:00 am Breakfast and early check-out of hotel. Drive to Teotihuacan Archeological site. Visit site. Meet van and drive to nearby restaurant for lunch*. Depart for drive back to San Miguel de Allende.
6:00 pm Approximate time of arrival in SMA depending on traffic

* All lunch reservations will be made for the convenience of our day travels. Dinner reservations will be made for each evening and are optional. We will ask all of you if you wish to join us for dinner every afternoon to ensure that our reservations are correct and confirmed.

* Meals marked with an asterisk are not included in the tour's fee.
This itinerary is subject to changes without prior notification.

WHAT TO TAKE           Official ID your current Passport, Mexican residency ID (copies are fine)   Original INAPAM ID (if you have one)   Credit Cards, Debit card, Cash in Pesos for the first day (Cash machines are available)   Active Cell Phone with recharger   Bring sufficient funds for meals and beverages not included in trip cost   Money Belt   Water Bottle   Camera   Travel Flashlight   Hat   Sunblock   Sunglasses   Day Pack   Swim Suit and Flip Flops for the pool   Light-weight Walking Shoes   A fleece garment or light jacket can be useful in case of chilly mornings or evenings   Simple comfortable clothing for day and evening wear   First-aid kit (should contain lip salve, Aspirin, Band Aids, anti-histamine, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, re-hydration powder)   Be sure to bring your own Kleenex and small change for bathroom fees   Personal prescription drugs   Pack your toiletries and travel documents in your day pack, a supply of Ziplock plastic storage bags can be handy for storing food items from the breakfast, to be used as mid-morning snacks