tour 9
Guadalupe, Mexico
6  days

MEXICO CITY AND GUADALUPE

THE SHRINE AT GUADALUPE
is considered the holiest place in the Western Hemisphere. President John F. Kennedy and French President Charles de Gaulle testified to this during state visits to Mexico. Pope John Paul II preached to millions of the faithful from this holy Shrine during his  979 visit to Mexico. The Basilica commemorates the Virgin Mary's appearance to a humble Indian and honors her request that a Shrine be built in Her honor. In December of 1531, Juan Diego informed a skeptical bishop of his encounter with Mary. A few days later, Juan returned to the site of the vision and once again Our Mother appeared. The humble man relayed the bishop's request for proof of Her visitation, whereupon the Virgin instructed Juan to gather roses from the frozen, rocky terrain and present them to the bishop. Remarkably for the cool season, he found a great number of roses strewn all around. Gathering the roses in a sackcloth, he hurriedly took them to the bishop. When he opened the cloak to present the roses to the cleric, it was not only the blooms that amazed the bishop. Stamped on the humble cloth was an image of the Virgin! The same miraculous image exists for you to see, hanging in splendor above the main altar.

Day 1  Boston or New York - Mexico City
Depart from Boston’s Logan Airport or New York's JFK Airport or from your home town for Mexico City. On arriving, we'll meet our guide for our five-day adventure. Transfer to our deluxe hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2  Mexico City
After breakfast we celebrate Mass at the beautiful colonial church of Chimalistac in the old suburb of San Angel. Time for prayers and reflection before lunch at the Hacienda de San Angel Inn. We then visit the former convent and church of El Carmen and the Church of Santa Catarina in suburban Coyoacan. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3  Mexico City
After breakfast, we're off to the Museum for Anthropology, itself an architectural wonder housing artifacts from Mexico's pre-Columbian civilizations. After lunch, we travel to the Plaza of Santo Domingo, the first church built by the Dominicans in 1576. Housed within is the first rosary shrine in Mexico, Our Lady of the Rosary and a second shrine, Our Lady of Covadonga (the headquarters of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary founded in 1538). This evening allows for an optional performance at the Palace of Fine Arts of the acclaimed Mexican Folklore Ballet. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4  Mexico City
Day at leisure to relax, explore the lively city, or take an optional full day tour to Tlaxcala ($70). Enjoy the ride through the mountains as we travel to Tlaxcala and the Shrine of San Miguel Del Milagro. Celebrate Mass at the site where St Michael the Archangel appeared to Diego Lazaro in 1631, directing him to the Grotto and to a well of miraculous curative waters. Then see the image of Our Lady burnt into a tree trunk after she appeared to Juan Diego Bernardino in 1541. Pefectly preserved, the image in a tree resides in the Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotland. Lunch is included with this optional tour. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5  Mexico City
After breakfast, we travel by way of the Plaza of the Three Cultures to visit the baptismal place of Juan Diego. As we drive you will be enchanted by the artful blending of pre-Hispanic and Hispanic cultures. Our destination is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas. Celebrate Mass in the brilliantly colored, modern Basilica dedicated in 1976. Join your prayers with those of other pilgrims as you kneel before the altar displaying the astounding Tilma, the sackcloth bearing the image of the Holy Virgin. In the afternoon we visit the pyramids of Teoihuacan - the Place of Sun and Moon - the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, and other ancient structures. Lunch is included at a restaurant at the foot of the pyramids. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6  Mexico City - New York
Depart from Mexico City for our return flight to the USA.


YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
Round-trip flight from Boston or New York to Mexico City
5 nights at the 5-star Hotel Crystal Rosa
Breakfast and dinner daily, lunch on 3 days
All transfers in private deluxe motor coach
Luggage handling
Guided tours and entrance fees
Tour to Tlaxcala
Flight bag and portfolio of travel documents
Mass daily