Art Tour to Mexico – Footsteps of Rivera and Kahlo

Take a visit to the Palacio Nacional, which is dominated by Diego Rivera’s great mural painted above its main staircase and along two walls of the courtyard. This spectacular mural was painted between 1929 and 1935 in the aftermath of the Revolution.

Explore the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, a building belonging to the National University, which houses a museum of murals from the earliest years of the Mexican muralist movement. San Ildefonso is considered the birthplace of the movement and the collection includes works from the masters, such as Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco.

Visit the Secretaria de Educacion Publica, a building renowned for its large series of murals by Diego Rivera. Painted between 1923 and 1928, the murals reflect Rivera’s diverse influences and include a panel called The Painter, The Sculptor and The Architect; a well-known self-portrait; The Day of the Dead; and The Arsenal.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit Museo Estudio Diego Rivera, twin houses for Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, built by one of Mexico’s most outstanding 20th-century architects, Juan O’Gorman. The houses are connected by a rooftop bridge over which Frida Kahlo used to take meals to Diego Rivera.

Explore the Museo de Arte Carrillo-Gil, which houses a permanent collection of work by many of the finest 20th-century Mexican artists, including Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros.

Visit Museo Frida Kahlo, where the artist was born, lived for most of her life, and eventually died. Frida painted some of her most famous works in this home, many of them inspired by the pain she felt as a result of breaking her back in a traffic accident. Diego Rivera also lived in the house and there are many objects associated with their life together. Upon the conclusion of the walk, you’ll stop for a final visit to the Jardin de Frida Kahlo.

Take a tour from San Angel to Coyoacan, which boasts a magnificent display of well-preserved Colonial and Pre-Revolutionary domestic architecture. Your journey through the tree-lined, cobbled streets that connect the two squares will bring you to the heart of each district.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Inhabited since around 1200 B.C., Cuernavaca is one of the oldest cities in Mexico. It’s located 55 miles south of Mexico City, in the northern region of the state of Morelos. It has a pleasant climate year-round and is known as the City of Eternal Spring.

Visit the Palacio de Cortés, built by the Spanish on the site of the Aztec pyramids they destroyed. Originally the residence of the conquistador Cortes, today the palace houses a series of murals by Diego Rivera, which depict Mexico's history from the Conquest to the Revolution, and artifacts from the region.

Visit the Catedral de la Asuncion, which dates from the 1520s and houses a recently uncovered 18th-century mural that tells a story of missionary travels to the far East. The cathedral also contains the Museo Robert Brady, with an extensive collection of art and crafts by Brady as well as works by Frida Kahlo and Rufino Tamayo.

Visit Taller Siqueiros ("La Tallera"), the house and studio of the painter and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, who was born in Chihuahua in 1896 and died in Cuernavaca in 1974. The property is now a museum dedicated to his work, much of which reflected his Marxist political ideology.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit Museo Mural Diego Rivera, a small two-story gallery built around one of Rivera’s masterpieces, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central. Painted in 1947 for the dining room of the Hotel Prado, the mural combines the history of Mexico with the dreams of its protagonists and of Rivera himself.

Between well-traced streets and corners full of local color, Querétaro reminds visitors about the mythical Corregidora (magistrate), Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, and the conspiracy that unraveled the Mexican War of Independence. This Colonial city invites you to visit its emblematic neighborhoods, with grand Spanish style and characteristic doors and gates, by cable car. In the main plazas, such as Independencia, you’ll find curious handicraft shops and restaurants where you can try traditional dishes, such as enchiladas queretanas.

Take a walking tour of Downtown Querétaro and view the town's most important plaza, Jardín Zenea and the San Francisco Church. Explore the pedestrians-only Andador Libertad and the Plaza de Independencia with its carefully hedged Indian laurel trees, outdoor restaurants, and colonial mansions. Allow time to explore the Casa Queretana de Artesanía, a handicrafts store run by the state that sells weavings, clothing, pottery, hand-carved furniture, onyx, opals, and jewelry, all from Querétaro.

Visit the Art Museum of Querétaro. Built around 1731 by the architect Mariano de las Casas and his master Fray Luis Martinez Lucio, it’s a great example of baroque-style in Latin America. Located at the corner of Allende Street and Pino Suarez in the historic downtown, it constitutes one of the most attractive visits in the city of Santiago de Querétaro due to its architecture and great collection.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Guanajuato, Mexico’s most beautiful Silver City, climbs out of a rugged ravine and up the bald hills that once supplied a quarter of New Spain’s silver output. Guanajuato will undoubtedly be a highlight of the art history tour in Mexico.

Take a guided walking tour of the City Center and view the Plaza de los Angeles, Callejon del Beso (Alley of the Kiss), Casa Rul y Valenciana, Calle Hidalgo, Basilica Nueastra Sanora de Guanajuato, Teatro Juarez, Jardin de la Union, the University, the Templo de la Compana, and the Casa Diego Rivera.

Visit the Guanajuato Mummy Museum.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

Visit the magnificent Church of San Cayetano, built toward the end of the colonial period in the opulent style of Mexican ultra-baroque. The interior is a dazzling affair, with gilded carvings and retablos.

You will have some free time to explore the area.

Enjoy an evening meal with your group.

This evening, you will make the final entries in your Reflection Journal and share some of the most significant observations and perspectives that have taken shape throughout your cultural immersion and art history tour in Mexico. We’ll also discuss how these experiences may be most relevant for us all as we return home.

Our rewarding and enjoyable art and culture tour in Mexico comes to an end as our Tour Director accompanies us to the airport on our final day.