Spanish Language Immersion in Mexico

Day 1

Your group will fly into beautiful Mexico City, the capital of the country of Mexico and largest city in this hemisphere, where your Joshua Expeditions guide will meet you outside of customs in the airport. The group will travel downtown to the hotel, then take a walking tour of this historic area. You will first head to the Zócalo, the city’s main square that was built straight on top of the ancient Aztec capital. You will also see the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palace of Fine Arts before concluding the day with a traditional Mexican meal and devotions at the hotel.

Day 2

This morning your group will go to Chapultapec Park and Castle. This park is known as the “green lung” of Mexico City because it helps to keep the air clear! While there you will learn the history of the area and see the castle where Emperor Maximilian I lived at one time. Following lunch you will head to the world renowned National Anthropology Museum where you will be able to see ruins from both the Aztec and the Mayan Empires, as well as the Aztec calendar. Your group could then opt to see traditional folk dancing in the evening after dinner.

Day 3

In the morning the group will travel back downtown to visit El Templo Mayor. When the Spaniards built their city here they built it directly on top of the Aztec city, Tenochtitlan, and in 1978, electrical workers uncovered ancient ruins underneath the streets of Mexico! You will visit this amazing museum to explore this ancient wonder before stopping for lunch in the area. During the afternoon your group will journey south of to the floating gardens of Xochimilco, which was designated an UNESCO Cultural Heritage site in 1987. You can float down the canals in one of the regional boats, and you may even opt to hire a mariachi band or buy some local food. Following dinner, the group will have devotions at the hotel to conclude the evening. (Optional activities are not included in the price of the trip.)

Day 4

Today you will wake up early to board a bus to Teotihuacán, “the birthplace of the gods,” as named by the Aztecs. This was once the largest city in the Americas and believed to be even larger than Rome at its zenith from 150-450 A.D. The origins and creators of this site are still a mystery. You will see various pyramids and ruins including the Pyramid of the Sun, the second largest pyramid in the New World, and your group will enjoy a guided tour, as well as some time to shop with the local artisans. On the way back to Mexico City, the group will stop for lunch and check out the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is the second most visited Catholic shrine next to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome! La Virgen Morena, as she is called in Spanish, is the most cherished and revered religious and cultural icon in Mexico. You will learn about the Catholic faith in Mexico as you see both the old and new basilicas. In the evening you will enjoy one last Mexican dinner before preparing for the next day's flight home.

Day 5

Your group will head to the airport in the morning to depart for home.