Bogota & Cartagena! December 2017
This special travel program is designed around the singular Expoartesanias Colombia, the largest and most important gathering and showcase of Colombia’s artisans and their art. The Expoartesanias handcraft fair, is entering its 27th year and features the finest in Colombia’s diverse traditional and contemporary craft from the entire country.
Maíz, Mole & Mezcal:
Oaxaca has become a “hot spot” for culinary travel, yet its foods are ancestral. From native corn, to the land of mole and mezcal, Oaxaca is a place to savor with all the senses. This culinary journey will take you on a veritable historic journey, beginning with the ancestral foods, the sustenance of Mexico today, and will also showcase contemporary expressions of these heritage foods.
Maya Textiles and Traditions:
The Guatemala countryside is beautiful and its people are warm. Surrounded by volcanoes, Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful places on earth. On this journey, we’ll travel to regions and communities in the Guatemala Highlands, home to the Maya people. Beginning in Guatemala City, we’ll visit the Ixchel Museum of Maya Textiles and Popol Vuh Museum of History, in order to get our grounding in the country we are about to visit.
Veracruz, Chinantla, Oaxaca & Tehuacan, Puebla
Visit El Tajin, the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa and attend the 4th Textile Festival, featuring the textiles of Veracruz! In addition, this trip will take us on an extraordinary journey into a region rarely visited in Oaxaca’s Papaloapan Basin. The natural landscape is varied, between lush tropical (think mangoes and pineapples) to higher elevations where coffee grows and deciduous forests begin.
Art, Culture & Cuisine!
On this journey of learning and discovery, we explore the history and expressions of Art in Mexico. In order to understand the vision and temperament of Diego and Frida, we will learn of History and Politics of Mexico, that is the only way to contextualize their art and lives. Get ready for your impressions of Mexico City’s Historic Center! Arriving at the grand and vast Zocalo, we’ll see the great clash of cultures in the 16th Century, that forever changed the course of Mexico’s history. We’ll also visit the Pre Hispanic site of Teotihuacan…
The Flavors & Landscapes
Wine Country, Baja Cuisine, Craft Beers and More! Baja California is a singular physical landscape, that has equally singular expressions in food and a burgeoning micro-wine industry. Given its climate and soil, the cuisine is akin to a Mediterranean one, and has been coined, “Baja Med” by Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero, one of its early and foremost protagonists…
On December 23, Oaxaca holds the largest radish carving contest in the world: The Night of the Radishes, where radishes weigh up to seven pounds! Primarily Nativity Scenes, the carvers now use their imagination and carve everything from famous Mexican revolutionaries…
Join us on an extraordinary journey to Colombia to learn about the heritage & traditions of African Descendants of this South American country. We will explore the History and Present Day expressions from the Caribbean Coast to the Pacific. Traveling to Cartagena & vicinity, we visit a community called San Basilio Palenque, established in honor of Cimarron, liberator and martyr, Benkos Bioho…
We explore the multiple ethnic communities of Oaxaca (and Guerrero) to learn of their cultural and ethnic expressions in dress and textiles. From the Amuzgo in Guerrero to the Mixtec, Huave, Zapotec in Oaxaca we will see how textile traditions and dress are a cultural passport and unique expression of the women (and some men) who live in this region.
Join us on a journey to learn about and witness one of nature’s wonders–the monarch butterfly migration. Here, in the fir trees of Michoacan at between 8,000-12,000 feet, the monarch butterflies take rest for the winter months after flying over 3,000 miles. Here, they cluster in groups on the fir trees to stay warm. During the day, they enjoy the sunshine and can be seen flying in massive groups…
We will embark on fascinating excursions to meet farmers, fishermen, and ranchers to better understand and appreciate the farm to table relationships and supply chain of uniquely Yucatecan ingredients. Visitors will visit a Yucatecan family to discover the traditional pit cooking style called pib. The culinary traditions of Yucatan are like none other!
Day of the Dead in Michoacán is one of Mexico’s most revered and unique holidays, that combines pre-Hispanic rituals with Catholic traditions. During this time, families gather to remember their departed loved ones. It is believed that through this reflection and memory, they are kept alive!.
Whether it’s Culture & Cuisine, Textile Traditions, Ancient Civilizations, Art History or Festivals, let us take you beyond the beach resorts. Our unique approach combines education with off the path itineraries, designed to build greater understanding of and appreciation for the richness and complexity of Mexico, Colombia and beyond. Read about our travels here:
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