The Toltecs are the most mysterious and controversial group from ancient Mesoamerica, and the interpretation of their importance to the greater cultural traditions of this region has ranged from seeing them as the “mother culture,” from which all others sprang, to a group that didn’t even exist historically, and was nothing but a figment of the Aztec imagination.
Far Horizons proudly presents an incredible trip that includes explorations of archaeological sites, visits to colonial buildings, works of art created by Mexico’s most renowned muralists, and, as an added treat, luscious regional cuisine in several of the country’s most outstanding restaurants. Our itinerary includes Tula, the legendary capital of the Toltecs, as well as the great cities that preceded it, such as Cacaxtla, Xochicalco, and, especially, Teotihuacán. Visit the great sites of the Aztecs, who wrapped themselves in the cultural mantle of the Toltecs as they formed their empire in Central Mexico. Join only 13 others on a fascinating trip exploring the archaeology and history of one of the most important cultural regions in the Americas!
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The Toltec civilization originated in northern Mexico sometime around 800 AD and scholars believe that they may have filled a gap left by the collapse of Teotihuacan. From the Toltec capital of Tula, they used long-distance trade and conquest to enlarge their domain. But by 1100 AD their empire had collapsed. Ultimately their land was taken over by the Aztecs who saw them as their intellectual and cultural predecessors as shown in Aztec oral and pictorial histories.
Arrive in Mexico City and drive to Teotihuacán. According to the Aztecs, this was the birthplace of the gods and the site where the Fifth Sun first emerged from fire and rose to the sky. Our afternoon excursion to this UNESCO World Heritage Site takes us to two museums within Teotihuacán. The site museum displays artifacts found during excavations along with a massive model of the Teotihuacán complex. The “Beatriz de la Fuente” Museum of the Teotihuacan Murals displays the frescos recovered over more than a century of archaeological excavations. Dinner and overnight in the Villas Arqueologicas. (L/D)
Begin a morning filled with all of the main features of this enormous ceremonial center, including the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, the Ciudadela, the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, and the Avenue of the Dead, and several of the small sites on the periphery that contain mythological murals preserved for 1,300 years. After lunch, drive on to Puebla and overnight for two nights in the Palacio San Leonardo Hotel. Our welcome dinner will be in one of Puebla’s fine restaurants. (B/L/D)
Today is devoted to an exploration of two splendid trip highlights. Cacaxtla is one of Mexico’s most exciting post-war discoveries. In 1974, tomb robbers came upon a series of brilliant paintings decorating the walls of this fortified ceremonial and palace complex. Wonderfully preserved for more than a millennium, these images display unmistakable Maya traits and depict life-size scenes of battle and sacrifice, all still infused with dazzling hues of indigo, ochre, red, and black. The frescos in the lower level chamber appear to be associated with the planet Venus. The room itself is the real ‘star chamber,’ the place where sacrifices were performed on behalf of Venus. Continue to Cholula, where settlements date back thousands of years. In pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Cholula’s strategic location made it a key point along trade routes. Upon returning to Puebla, walk through the city’s historic center, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dinner is on our own to enjoy one of Puebla’s excellent restaurants. (B/L)
Travel to Xochicalco, an ancient city on a steep hillside signifying a need for defense, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Influenced by Teotihuacán architectural designs, one of the main temple platforms is adorned with commanding reliefs of the Feathered Serpent, or Quetzalcoatl. The same temple has calendrical glyphs and symbols that appear to represent an eclipse, and a subterranean chamber at the site receives sunlight on the two days of the year when the sun crosses the zenith. In the afternoon, visit Teopanzolco, constructed in the 12th century over earlier cultural remains dating back to as early as 900 BC. It is today surrounded by the city of Cuernavaca. The Great Platform here is a perfect example of a Post-Classic twin-stair temple design. On top are two temples, one dedicated to Tlaloc, the deity of water, fertility, and rain, and the other to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun and war god. Surviving examples of the double pyramid are seldom found as they were systematically pulled to pieces as part of the Christianization of the Mesoamerican people by Spanish conquerors. Overnight for two nights in the Hotel Marriott in Ixtapan de la Sal. (B/L/D)
Our day includes two outstanding ancient sites. During Aztec times, Malinalco was an imperial center and capital of one of the branches of the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlán, Texcoco, and Tlacopan, which was formed in 1428. With temples carved from the rock face, Malinalco is a remarkable shrine, best known for its dramatically decorated Temple of the Eagle and Jaguar Knights. The Temple of the Eagle is a circular shrine accessed by a staircase with 13 steps, which leads to a rectangular platform and the main entrance of the shrine. Statues of jaguars flank the staircase, and the interior is decorated with sculptures of eagles and jaguars. Located on top of a hill overlooking the valley of Toluca, Teotenango was a vast fortified city that existed for at least 1,000 years but reached its zenith during the last phase of Teotihuacán. A rock carving here appears to depict an eclipse as a jaguar devouring the sun. NOTE: A steep climb is necessary to reach both these sites. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)
Calixtlahuaca was the main center of power in the 15th century of the Matlatzinca, one of four ethnic groups in the Valley of Toluca. One of its prominent structures is round and is thought to have been dedicated to Quetzalcoatl in his wind god identity. It was built in a circular form so that it would not hinder the wind god’s entrance. However, that shape also could be of a coiled snake, and the temple could have been originally dedicated to the ancient serpentine creator god and later dedicated to the god of wind by the Aztecs. A statue of Coatlicue, the Aztec earth-mother goddess who gave birth to the moon and stars and wore a skirt of snakes, was found here and is now at the Mexico City Museum of Anthropology.
Drive to Mexico City for lunch in the legendary San Angel Inn, housed in an 18th-century hacienda. In the afternoon, visit the Palacio de Correos, Mexico City’s central post office, housed in an early 20th-century palace designed by the Palacio de Bellas Artes’ original architect, Adamo Boari. An exquisite example of Renaissance Revival architecture, the ornate exterior has intricately carved stone around the windows and along the roofline, and the interior is dominated by an impressive monumental staircase made of bronze.
Overnight for five nights in the Histórico Central Hotel, housed in a beautifully restored 18th-century colonial building located in the historic center. (B/L/D)
We begin with a drive to the outskirts of the city at the Dolores Olmedo Museum, housed in a 16th-century stone building formerly known as the Hacienda La Noria and containing works by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
Then it is on to Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only remains of the pre-Hispanic agricultural system of chinampas, floating islands of mud from the bottom of the lake and decaying vegetation. We will board a boat to float through the area where plants are still grown in the traditional manner.
The afternoon will be spent in the magnificent Templo Mayor, one of the primary temples of the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City. At the summit of this immense stone edifice were found the twin pyramids of the two important gods of Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc, both frequently nourished by the Aztecs with the blood of human sacrifices. Within the spectacular Templo Mayor Museum are artifacts that have been found in the excavations. Here, see the monumental carved disk that portrays the death of Coyolxauhqui, the moon goddess.
Dinner will be in Los Girasoles, overlooking a lovely old square in a restored three-story colonial home. It was one of the first places to serve nueva cocina Mexicana. (B/L/D)
Today, explore Mexico City. In 1921, after the end of the military phase of the Revolution, most of the Mexican population was illiterate, and the government needed a way to promote the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. A government-backed painting program, similar to mural use in the pre-Hispanic period, was established, and renowned painters were invited to decorate the walls of colonial buildings. To view some of these exciting works, we begin in the zócalo, the main square of Mexico City, and a living museum added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987.
Our walk takes us to the National Palace, a two-block-long building. Rebuilt after the damage done in the 1692 Native rebellion with the material of the palace of the Aztec king, Montezuma, it flanks the entire east side of the Zócalo. In the central patio are splendid frescoes painted by Diego Rivera in 1931 – a dramatic, panoramic history of Mexico from the pre-conquest era to the social upheaval of the 1930s.
Then, it is on to Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, a former Jesuit college built in the 16th century. Murals by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Siqueiros, and others are displayed on the building walls.
We then move to the Museo de la Antropología, not only the finest museum in the country but also ranks amongst the greatest in the world.
After time for lunch on our own at the museum café, we spend the rest of the afternoon viewing the museum’s great collections, with special emphasis on the Maya and Aztec civilizations, along with other cultures in central Mexico.
Tonight’s dinner will be at Rosetta, listed as one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants. (B/D)
Driving to the northern outskirts of Mexico City, we will visit two sites originally located on the shores of the great Lake Texcoco. Tenayuca was the fortified capital of the Chichimecs for almost three hundred years. The pyramid dominating the site center had many building phases over three hundred years. Covering the sides of the temple is a wall of serpents, called a coatepantli, and greenish-blue paint is still visible on some of the snakes’ bodies. Not too far away is a statue of a fire serpent, a xiuhcoatl, which was probably related to the sun cult celebrated by the Aztecs every 52 years in a fire ceremony. Nearby Santa Cecilia Acatitlan, now in the town of the same name, was associated with Tenayuca. Only one temple still stands, but it contains a well-preserved interior.
Return to Mexico City and its historic Cathedral, the monumental structure dominating the zócalo, for a quick view of the Capilla de Los Reyes copied from a Churrigueresque chapel in the cathedral in Seville, Spain. Inside the church, hunt for the mark on the crypt floor below the cupola; it partly covers the site of the Tzompantli, a holy Aztec rack on which skulls of sacrificed victims were exposed.
Gather this evening for our final dinner party on La Casa de la Sirena’s outdoor balcony with wonderful views over the zócalo, Cathedral, and Templo Mayor. (B/L)
Our drive north takes us to Tula, thought to be Tollan, the fabled capital of the Toltec Empire, founded about 750 AD as the Teotihuacan Empire was collapsing. The city covered at least 3 square miles and may have had a population in the tens of thousands. A large central plaza is enclosed on one side by a five-stepped temple pyramid, which was probably dedicated to the god Quetzalcóatl. Surviving architectural sculpture on the impressive structure is stunning. The roof would have been held up by still-standing columns of warriors dressed for battle with ornate headdresses and carrying an atlatl or spear-thrower. Friezes on the walls show scenes of war and sacrifice, including images of eagles with hearts in their mouths.
Return to Mexico City for our farewell dinner. (B/L/D)
Early this morning, we will transfer to the airport for our flights home. (B)
