OCTOBER 28,     CITY OF ORIGIN - MEXICO
Morning arrival at Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport. Your guide will meet you and escort you to the city center. Lunch (not included). Guided tour of the Historic Center, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we will visit the National Palace, the Zócalo, the Aztec Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Postal Palace. Check-in at your hotel.
In the evening, we'll depart for Plaza Garibaldi, the most representative place of Mexican popular music and mariachi bands. We'll enjoy a traditional dinner at the Parían restaurant. Return to the hotel. Overnight stay .

OCTOBER 29, MEXICO CITY / XOCHIMILCO
Breakfast at the hotel. We'll begin the day with a trajinera ride on Lake Xochimilco. The origins of Xochimilco date back to pre-Hispanic times. Xochimilco is particularly important for its chinampas. These rafts, made of wood and covered with earth, were used to grow flowers and vegetables, making Mexico-Tenochtitlan a floating city. They used them for agriculture and to reclaim land from the lake waters. We'll continue to the emblematic neighborhood of Coyoacán, where you'll have time for lunch. Coyoacán was an independent rural town in Mexico City until the 19th century. We'll visit Plaza Hidalgo, the main square with its kiosk and fountain, the cathedral, and the cobblestone streets where we'll find colonial-era mansions. This is the home of the famous painter Frida Kahlo; her house hosted meetings with artists and politicians of the time, including Leon Trotsky. We'll visit this house, now a museum (admission included), which preserves the decor in the spirit Frida gave to her famous "Blue House," where she was born, lived, and died. The rest of the night is free. Overnight stay.

October 30 Basilica of Guadalupe / Teotihuacan
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for the Plaza of the Three Cultures, where the pre-Columbian, Spanish, and Mexican present intertwine. Continue to the Basilica of Guadalupe, the most sacred place for Mexican Catholics, dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. We then head to the wonderful archaeological site of Teotihuacán, which in Nahuatl means "City of the Gods" or "The place where the Gods are created." During the visit, you will see the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. The former reaches a height of 65 m, making it one of the largest pyramids on the continent. The pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, the serpent god, is the only pyramid with sculptures, shaped like the head of a serpent. We will cross the Avenue of the Dead, which was the most important avenue in this city, and at the Temple of Quetzalpapalotl , we will see murals from that period. After a Mexican buffet lunch (included), we visit an artisan center, where you can visit an obsidian stone carving workshop, the main craft of the locals. We'll taste maguey pulque, a typical drink from the region. The rest of the evening is free. Overnight stay.

OCTOBER 31 MEXICO CITY – PÁTZCUARO – MORELIA (367 KM - 6 HRS)
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Pátzcuaro. Upon arrival, you will have free time for lunch (not included). In downtown Pátzcuaro, you can enjoy a variety of cafes and restaurants serving traditional and international dishes. Don't forget to try "niña de pasta," the most typical ice cream flavor. To help with lunch, we take a guided tour of downtown and the Day of the Dead candy market.
The name Pátzcuaro means "gateway to heaven" in Purépecha. It is a city famous for its colonial beauty, as well as for the authentic customs of its inhabitants.
Among the cultural treasures are the Basilica of Our Lady of Health, the "House of the Eleven Patios," the library, the Temple of San Francisco and the Temple of the Tabernacle, the Museum of Popular Arts (visit included), the Convent of San Agustín, the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, and the Plaza Don Vasco de Quiroga with its crafts market.
Today we will see the preparations for the Day of the Dead festival; this celebration is of utmost importance to the Mexican people. It takes place over two days, November 1st and 2nd. It is an opportunity to gather with family. The Mexican population visits the cemeteries where their relatives are buried while they await their arrival: the belief that the Dead come to visit them is strong. For this reason, they decorate their homes and graves with candles and flowers. This festival is characterized by offering "calaveritas," sugar and chocolate candies in the shape of skulls, as well as "pan de muerto" (bread of the dead).
In the city center, you will have the opportunity to have Day of the Dead makeup done (at the client's expense).
Free time to visit the crafts market, have dinner (not included) and sample typical dishes.
In the evening, you'll enjoy a traditional dance performance at the port on Lake Pátzcuaro, called "The Dance of the Old Men." This performance culminates with a special presentation by local fishermen in their canoes, showing their traditional fishing method using a butterfly net. (This activity depends on the schedule of the Pátzcuaro Tourism Office and may be canceled or modified.) We continue to Morelia. Check into your hotel.

NOVEMBER 1 MORELIA – JANITZIO – SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA – TZINTZUNTZAN - (98 KM 2 HRS)
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, we will take a guided tour of downtown Morelia. Morelia has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is known for the architectural beauty of its magnificent pink-stone colonial buildings.
You will visit the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Clavijero Palace, the Convent of the Roses with its church, and the Plaza Mayor. You will discover the market selling traditional sweets, the aqueduct, the Tarascas Fountain, the Romance Alley, and the Calzada: a charming pedestrian path that leads to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, a church with stunning interior decoration. We will head to Janitzio Island on Lake Pátzcuaro. We will board a boat to reach the island and visit its cemetery, admiring the tombs that families have decorated for the visit of their loved ones. Free time for lunch (not included). Departure for Santa Fe de la Laguna, a Purépecha community that pays tribute to the Day of the Dead. You will have the opportunity to enter the homes of Mexican families awaiting the return of their dead, and you will see everything they have prepared for them.
You will witness the candle-lighting ceremony for the Day of the Dead. We will visit the village cemetery to see the grave decorations. Sometimes, townspeople hold a contest to choose the most beautiful altar. You will be able to witness the installation of altars for the newly dead (people who died this year). These events are unique in that they are accompanied by cheerful music and dances dedicated to these new dead.
If time permits, we'll continue to the Tzintzuntzan archaeological site to attend the Festival of the Dead. You'll have the opportunity to see a performance of the famous pre-Hispanic ball game. Overnight stay.

NOVEMBER 2, MORELIA, DAY OFF
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day to enjoy the beautiful colonial city of Morelia.
A visit to the Crafts Museum and the Sweets Museum is recommended, where you can learn about the making of typical regional sweets. If you wish, you can attend a nighttime legends tour, which is sold next to the cathedral by characters dressed in colonial-era costumes. Don't forget to attend the free cathedral lighting show at 8:45 p.m. every Saturday (check with your hotel for information about this show ). Accommodation.

NOVEMBER 3 MORELIA – MEXICO CITY (301 KM 4:30 HRS)
Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will depart for Mexico City Airport. Estimated arrival time at the airport: 3:00 PM.