Ocotlán de Morelos and Rudolfo Morales

Ocotlán de Morelos is known for artist Rodolfo Morales who painted aspects of his hometown in his works and sponsored projects to save and restore historic buildings and monuments.  Above is an altar honoring his memory.  Morales is best known for his brightly colored surrealistic dream-like paintings and collages often featuring Mexican women in village settings. 

The monastery, Santo Domingo de Ocotlán, was founded in 1555.  It is now home to many of Morales's works and a research library founded by Morales.

This handsome piece is hanging in the stairwell of the monastery.

A lovely place to rest and admire the works of Morelos.

One of his last works called "Mercados" depicts market scenes from the town painted on columns.

Characteristics of his work include rich use of color, exaggerated hands and feet, over-sized faces, women (often brides), dogs, flowers, angels, bicycles, musical instruments and floating figures.

 A weaving hanging at the entrance of this gallery.

A wonderful series of his collages filled one whole room.  Enjoy.

The municipal palace has a Neoclassic facade built with pink stone, with columns and pediments.  Honoring Morales was this altar for the upcoming Dia de Los Muertos.

 

The main feature in the interior are the murals by Morales from the 1950's, when he was a young man.

The murals depict scenes from the history of Ocotlán as well as landscapes and representative scenes such as the markets, mining and agriculture.

 

 

The 16th-century Temple de Santo Domingo in Ocotlán de Morelos was restored with funds and collaboration from Rudolfo Morales.  

 

 

You will see the bright blue and golden yellow theme around the plaza.  I was just here on Friday, their market day, which I adore.

You will find a clay figure of Morelos in the monastery by the Aguilar family, famous in this town for their figures of munecas and other daily scenes. 

Morales was notable for his restoration of historic buildings in Ocotlán de Morelos.  Together with artists Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo, they helped make Oaxaca in Southern Mexico a center for contemporary art and tourism.

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

June 2025

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, 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 he was recently selected by the Mexican Cultural Institute of Artisans to be a judge at all the expositions in the state of Michoacan!  He is a 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! 
The first part of the tour starts in Puebla.  We will fly directly from Denver to Houston and then on to Puebla.  

Rick will meet us at the airport where we will be escorted to our boutique hotel, CasaReyna.

It was originally the ruins of 16th, 17th and 18th century homes before famed Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta re-created this gorgeous space, fusing old world and contemporary Mexico together.

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 , Talavera de Luz, a famous talavera pottery workshop where we will witness the whole production of the talavera pottery.

 

Along with some other tallers noted for their large cazuelas. 

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.

One morning we will spend at the International Museum of the Baroque designed by Japanese architect Toyoo Ho.  Not only is the exterior architecture breathtaking, the interior exhibitions are some of the best I have seen in a long time.

Then off to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest known pyramid in the world. Construction started in the 3rd century B.C. and the temple on top was added by Spaniards in the 16th century. Behind it stands Popocatépetl, an active volcano & the second highest peak in Mexico. 

A stop at the lavish Church of Santa María Tonantzintla, valued for its decoration in what is called folk or indigenous Baroque.  You will not believe how elaborate the interior is.

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.    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.  

 

A visit to Palacio de Bellas Artes with its French Belle Epoque exterior 

and Art Deco with Aztec influences interior where the second floor walls are lined with murals from artists of the Mexican Muralist Movement, Rivera, Siqueros, Orozco...

In the pretty Coyoacán neighborhood, we will dine one day at Los Danzantes overlooking the Jardin Centenario with the handsome fountain with coyote figures.

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 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 in June.

 

 A visit to Museo Diego Rivera Anajuacalli, one of the most interesting structures in the city to house a museum.  Built out of volcanic rock, it contains Rivera’s astounding collection of over 56,000 pieces of Mesoamerican art.  You will also see many mosaics on the walls and ceilings, based on Rivera’s original designs, that depict the gods and goddesses of the pre-Hispanic times.

A stop at Juan O'Gorma's most lasting creation was the Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which he designed and built in the early 1950s and which has been given UNESCO World Heritage status. The surface is entirely covered with millions of stones chosen by him for their individual colors, and sourced from various regions of Mexico.

 

When on the campus, we will see a few murals by David Alfaro Siquero.

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, los petates.  It's a popular place.  Author and Chef Rick Bayless just featured Contramar and the San Angel Inn in his latest 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.

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.

 

Our last night 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 45 years.

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 ten and I already have a few people who are interested in joining me. 

TRAVEL THE AGES...

FROM THE COLONIAL TOWN OF PUEBLA

TO THE LAVISH CULTURE OF MEXICO CITY

June 2025

robindsg@aol.com