| home |
| magazine |
| join or renew |
| where we work |
| new acquisitions |
| tours |
| events |
| links |
| send more information |
Oaxaxa
When: October 24 - November 3, 2008
Where: Mexico
How Much: $2,395 ($350 single supplement)
Join us in Oaxaca, Mexico, during one of the most unusual festivals anywhere – the Day of the Dead. On this day, people prepare home altars and cemeteries to welcome the dead, who are believed to return to enjoy the food and drink they indulged in during life. Not at all a morbid occasion, the town is filled with celebration.
Oaxaca lies in a semitropical valley surrounded by the peaks of the Sierra Madre del Sur. The city’s architecture reflects its rich Spanish Colonial and modern history. Vast ruins of the Ancient Mixtecan and Zapotecan civilizations lie just outside the city. As always, an expert in the region’s archaeology will accompany us.
Friday, October 24
Join us in Oaxaca for a cocktail party at the Hotel Gala de Oaxaca, where we’ll spend ten nights.
Saturday, October 25
In the morning we’ll walk to the Mercado de Abastos, Oaxaca’s famous flower market. In addition to an abundance of cut flowers we will also see special Day of the Dead decorations on sale. In the afternoon we’ll visit the Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art. In the evening we’ll attend a lecture by Toni Sobel about Monte Albán.
Sunday, October 26
We’ll spend the morning exploring the impressive ruins of Monte Albán, a city built by the Zapotecs between 500 B.C. and A.D. 750. After lunch we’ll visit the regional museum and tour its displays of artifacts from Mitla and Monte Albán, including the gold treasures that were found in Monte Albán’s tomb #7 in 1932.
Monday, October 27
We’ll tour nearby crafts villages, including San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Martín Tilcajete, and Santo Tomás Jalieza. In Ocotlan de Morales, we will visit the home of Rodolfo Morales as well as the great Dominican complex he helped restore.
Tuesday, October 28
We’ll tour the wood carving village of Arrazola as well as Cuilapan, a Dominican monastery built in 1555. In the afternoon we’ll visit Zaachila, the last capital of the Zapotec kingdom.
Wednesday, October 29
We’ll travel to the Etla Valley and tour the site of San José Mogote, an important village first occupied around 1400 B.C. We’ll also get a chance to visit the Etla Market. We’ll attend an evening lecture by Marcus Winter, an expert on Oaxacan archaeology.
Thursday, October 30
We’ll explore the elaborate ruins of Mitla. Built by the Zapotec and later occupied by the Mixtec, the masonry buildings are decorated with mosaics made from thousands of hand carved stones. We’ll tour Dainzú, a Zapotec city founded in 350 B.C. that controlled a narrow valley pass. We’ll also visit the ruins at Yagul and Lambityeco.
Friday, October 31
Morning free. In the afternoon we will see the native weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle. In the evening we’ll visit the cemetery in Xoxocatlán.
Saturday, November 1
Morning free. In the afternoon we’ll visit the main cemetery in Oaxaca to observe the Day of the Dead festivities.
Sunday, November 2
In the morning an optional second visit to Monte Albán is scheduled. In the afternoon we’ll take a walking tour of Oaxaca and visit the ornate church of Santo Domingo, the cathedral on the Zócalo, and the central market. In the evening, we’ll have a farewell dinner at one of Oaxaca’s finest restaurants.
Monday, November 3
Participants depart for home. You may want to ask your travel agent about extending your vacation to the beach at Huatulco, or to other delightful destinations in Mexico.