Meet me in San Miguel de Allende in October to celebrate the Alborada, the festival of the town's patron saint, Saint Michael Archangel

October 1 is the day that honors the patron saint of San Miguel de Allende, Saint Michael Archangel.  According to the Bible, Saint Michael (San Miguel) Archangel defeated Lucifer and he then became the symbol of good over evil and life over death.   And how appropriate that San Miguel de Allende is where the fight for freedom from Spain was fought.

In my opinion, this weekend, the Alborada, is the most colorful and celebrated.   You will see the wild dancing Mojigangas (giant paper mache figures) and parades featuring the Conchero dancers and the Chino dancers.  There will be religious processions with beautifully designed Xuchiles, the offerings of flowers built upon platforms made of reeds and sticks, then decorated with flowers, mostly marigolds, and cucharillas, the interior of a cactus meaning little spoon.  You will never encounter a weekend as extravagant as this! 

One of the Xuchiles with San Miguel Archangel at the top is propped up to create an decorative archway leading to the Parroquia, the main parish church, right in the center of town.

The interior of the Parroquia is lavishly decorated with floral arrangements.

The beautifully costumed Conchero dancers performing in front of the Parroquia.  This dance represents the conflict between the Spaniards and the indigenous people.

What a striking young lady in her feathered and beaded outfit.

And music...

 Along with the Chinos representing the Spanish Moors.

You will see the the Volvadores de Papantla (the flying pole dance). It is a centuries old tradition, one that the Aztecs performed.  A tall pole is set up in the middle of a plaza, fitted with a small (and I mean small!) revolving platform on top.   Four fliers and a musician climb to the top. The flyers wear a hat with a crest of feathers which give reference to eagles or macaws, the birds dedicated to the sun.

A ceremony is performed at the top on a small platform.  The musician (the captain) faces each direction and leans back, arching his back as he plays his flute and drum. 
The other four men tie the ropes around themselves and fly down.  Making 13 revolutions around the pole and turning a somersault to land lightly on their feet as they reach the ground.  The captain increases the tempo of the music as they near the bottom.  They do not free themselves from the rope until the captain has joined them.  The captain slides down one of the ropes, reaching the ground at the same time as the flyers, without having stopped playing his instruments. Then they all take leave of the rope and dance around the pole.  The crowd goes crazy with applause and admiration.

Numerous Castillos, wooden towers covered with fireworks and rocket-propelled pinwheels,

erected right in front of the Parroquia.

And one of my all time favorite ceremonies is the blessing of the cowboys and their horses.  Riders from all over ride into town from the surrounding pueblos and congregate in front of the Parroquia to be blessed by the priest.  

Please join me October 1 - 7, 2021 for a wonderful week in 
San Miguel de Allende.   
Experience the exceptional treasures of San Miguel:

its beautiful colonial architecture, delicious cuisine, native culture, comfortable climate, elegant accommodations, endless shopping and outstanding service. 

A walking tour on day two with a special lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.  We will take a few side trips.  One will be a day over in Dolores Hidalgo and

Guanajuato where we will experience the elegant architecture,

the Opera House, Diego Rivera Museum, ceramic studios and a sublime, gourmet meal.  Another day we will dine at a superb Italian restaurant in the countryside 

and visit the Sanctuary of Atotonilco (often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of Mexico).  

A market tour and cooking class by Chef Paco that will be one of the highlights of the trip.  And much, much more!

I know we are living in strange and trying times.  Hopefully by the end of summer, we will all have been vaccinated and the worst will be behind us.  Dreaming of traveling again, this is the trip for you.

 

For more information, contact me at robindsg@aol.com.  

Please include your full name, phone number and mailing address.     

October 1 - 7, 2021

 

Some of my posts on my Blog on what we will see when in Mexico City on "Travel the ages... From the colonial town of Puebla to the lavish culture of Mexico City"

For more on Mexico City and what is in store for you  
when you join me on “Travel the ages...
From the colonial town of Puebla
to the lavish culture of Mexico City",
check out the posts on my Blog where I wrote about some
of the places we will visit.

                                                  
November 11, 2019    

An afternoon on our own Trajinera in Xochimilco - Mexico City

November 15, 2019    

Great Masters of Mexican Popular Art at the Iturbe Palace - Mexico City

February 4, 20202    

The Dolores Omeldo Patino Museum in Xochimilco - Part one - Mexico City

February 6, 2020     

The Dolores Omeldo Patino Museum - Part two - Mexico City

February 12, 2020    

The Dolores Omeldo Patino Museum - Lithographs by Pablo O’Higgins - Mexico City

February 17, 2020    

The Dolores Omeldo Patino Museum - Part three - Mexico City

February 19, 2020     

The Dolores Omeldo Patino Museum - Los Ofrendos - Mexico City  

October 9, 2020        

Casa Azul in Coyacan in Mexico City - Mexico City

November 9, 2020    

The Murals by Diego Rivera at the National Palace - Part 1 - Mexico City

November 12, 2020    

The Murals by Diego Rivera at the National Palace - Part 2- Mexico City

February 14, 2021

Puebla, Mexico is known for it exceptional cuisine! - Puebla

                                   

The photo above is one of the many murals by 

Diego Rivera at the National Palace, “Painters & Dyers” - 1942
                 

           

Travels  with  Robin
 2021 

 

 

Travel the Ages... From the colonial town of Puebla to the lavish culture of Mexico CIty

 

I have put together a phenomenal nine day guided tour 

Puebla City and Mexico City.

October 8 - 17, 2021

For those who have been on my San Miguel de Allende tours, my Artisan and Architecture tour in the state of Michoacan, Oaxaca tour and exploring the Magic of the Maya World in Chiapas tour, I know if you join me, Puebla and Mexico City will also capture your heart.  
Helping me on this tour is Rick Hall.  Rick has helped me with a few of my previous tours and last year he was selected by the Mexican Cultural Institute of Artisans to be a judge at all the expositions in the state of Michoacan in 2020!  He was the perfect choice for this honor for he has worked directly with numerous artisans in central Mexico over the past 40 years and his personal folk art collection is museum quality.  Rick helped me with my last tour to Mexico City and his knowledge of the history, artisans, the city, etc., was remarkable!  

If you were fortunate to see the Mexican Modernism exhibition at the Denver Art Museum, this trip will really broaden your horizon, especially when we are in Mexico City where you will personally see numerous murals and paintings by Diego Rivera, the other two grand masters (Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfonso Siqueiros) and Frida Kahlo.
The first part of the tour starts in Puebla.  You will fly directly from Denver to Houston and then on to Puebla.  Rick and I will meet you at the airport where we will be escorted to our boutique hotel, a former convent, right in the historic center of town.  Once checked in, we will enjoy a light dinner in the hotel's intimate courtyard patio.

Puebla is a colonial town loaded with Renaissance and Mexican Baroque architecture.  
A city famous for mole poblano, chilies en nogada, excellent dining and Talavera pottery.

 

The first morning will be a walking tour of the historic center starting in the zolcal0

which is bordered on three sides by the original broad stone arcaded buildings (called portales).

and on the south side is the Cathedral.  The Cathedral, considered by many as one of the most beautiful in all of Mexico, was completed in 1648 with bells only in one tower with one bell weighing 8.5 tons.  

A visit to the Ex-Convento Santa Rosa, converted into a museum to display crafts produced in the state of Puebla.  The above is the former kitchen at the convent constructed with talavera tiles filled with huge caldrons and other earthenware utensils.  It is legend that the Dominican nun, Sor Andrea d la Asuncion, created the famous Mole Poblano.

A special guided tour at the renown Taller Uriate, a famous talavera pottery workshop where we will witness the whole production of the talavera pottery.

A stop at the Museo Bello with its eclectic collection of over 2,500 pieces of furniture, decorative arts, talavera pottery all collected by Mariano Bello, a 19th century industrialist who owned cigar and textile factories.

Tour the International Museum of the Baroque designed by Japanese architect Toyoo Ho followed by lunch in the museum's Restaurant Barroca.  Visits to the Museo Casa del Dean, a Renaissance-style home built in 1580 with phenomenal antique frescoes.   A stop at the Casa de Cultura, formerly the archbishop's palace with a facade adorned of bricks and tile.  Up a flight of marble steps to the second floor, you will encounter  the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the oldest library in the Americas.

Dining in Puebla is some of the best.  One night we will dine at El Mural de Los Poblano, shown above.  Another night, at a private home owned by Pueblo's top antique dealers.  Lunch one day in the Cinco de Mayo Market.  And much more...

Our private van and driver will pick us up at our hotel in Puebla and we will be chauffeured to an old gem of a hotel, Hotel Geneve, right in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City.  

Arriving into Mexico City just in time for comida (lunch) where we dine in a funky cantina right in the center of the charming colonial Coyoacan district. 

After comida, we will immerse ourselves into the world of Frida Kahlo when we tour Casa Azul, Frida's gardens, studio and home.

 Frida's colorful kitchen at Casa Azul.   

 

Another morning at the Plaza de la Constitucion, invariably known as the Zocalo, one of the biggest public squares in the world.  We will visit the National Cathedral, one of the greatest religious structures in Latin America, 

and the Templo Mayer, the site of the Aztec teocalli (sacred city). 

A visit to the National Palace, the former site of Hernan Cortes’ residence. 

The most interesting feature of this Renaissance building is the great mural by Diego Rivera depicting the history of Mexico 

along with countless other murals by Diego on the second floor. 

A stop at the Palacio de Correos de Mexico (the central post office) built in 1907 is quite spectacular with its eclectic architectural styles.  Pretty amazing.

The Palacio de Iturbide is one of the best colonial, Baroque buildings in the city.  Built around 1780, it was once the home of Augustin de Iturbide, the first emperor to Mexico after Mexico's independence from Spain.  Later it was a convent, a college and then a hotel before Banamex purchased it.  It re-opened as the “Palacio de Cultura Banamex” and today it hosts numerous temporary art exhibitions, as well as art workshops for adults and children.  The last exhibition was out of this world, who knows what will be in store for us next October.

Another morning we will start at the Museo de Culturas Populares, which has excellent temporary exhibits on Mexican culture and artists.  Comida at one of my favorite places, Los Danzantes, in the San Angel area.  After we will have plenty of time to explore the famous Bazar Sabado, an artisan market that comes to life every Saturday filled with stalls after stalls of handmade jewelry, textiles, crafts... 

Later we will have a leisurely dinner at the San Angel Inn.  The San Angel Inn is a long-standing, venerable institution in Mexico City.  Set in a classic, old hacienda (originally a convent), the atmosphere is elegant with blue-and-white Talavera-style place settings and bright white table linens—it has a true Spanish-Mexican colonial feel and is an oasis of calm in the middle of city.  A special place I have been coming to for over 40 years.

Comida one day at Contramar, famous for their fish and the decor is spectacular.  I love the brilliant blue wall along with the ceiling being covered in the Mexican straw mats, petates.  It's a popular place.  Author and Chef Rick Bayless featured Contramar and the San Angel Inn in his PBS series of, Mexico, One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless.  Check it out, Season 12, Episode 6.

A full morning at the Museo Nacional de Antropolgia which houses a world-renowned Pre-Coloumbian collection.  The museum’s large, central patio is almost covered by a 275 foot canopy which sits on a 36 foot pillar, the largest concrete structure in the world supported by a single pillar.  Now that is what I call a fountain!

The collection in beyond description.  Not only is the collection magnificent, the building and gallery spaces are spectacular.

Cena (dinner) at Los Limosneros, a lovely restaurant that puts a contemporary twist on traditional Mexican cuisine.   The walls of this old structure date back to 500 years, part of the fortified walls built back in the days.

A visit to the Museo Dolores Olmedo, possibly the most important Diego Rivera collection of all belongs to this museum, ensconced in a peaceful 17th-century hacienda.

Dolores Olmedo, a socialite and patron of Rivera, resided here until her death in 2002. 

We will have a relaxing afternoon, touring and dining on one of the colorfully painted trajinera boats

at the floating gardens (Chinampa) in Xochimilco.  Xochimilco, meaning “Place of the Flowers” in Nahuatl is famous for its Aztec-made waterways surrounding the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, which is now modern Mexico City. 

Another dinner in Mexico City will be at 99 Nueve Nueve.  Located on the gorgeous grounds of cultural center Casa Lamm, a Mexican Bistro with Chefs Luis Duran and Monica Beteta in charge of the kitchen where they create fantastic dishes with typical ingredients from all around the country. 

For more information, please email me your name and any other contact information and I will send you a complete itinerary along with pricing, a deposit request form and plane travel information.  I am limiting this tour to a maximum of twelve (that includes me and Rick) and I already have a few signed on for the trip.  Those that have already signed on have been on most if not all of my other tours! 

 

I know we are living in strange and trying times.  Hopefully by the end of summer, we will all have been vaccinated and the worst will be behind us.  Dreaming of traveling again, this is the trip for you.

TRAVEL THE AGES...

FROM THE COLONIAL TOWN OF PUEBLA

TO THE LAVISH CULTURE OF MEXICO CITY

OCTOBER 8 - 17, 2021

robindsg@aol.com