In collaboration with our Mexican tour partner Joel Peláez Cruz, Tiny World Tours offered this rich and immersive experience of Mexico City and Interior Mexico to a jolly group of like-minded adventurers for eleven-nights from 7 through 18 November 2022. FYI- We’re offering a six night 10-16 February 2023 (shorter) version of this tour. To jump ahead to view our great photo and video gallery, please scroll down.
Our tour began and ended in Mexico’s vibrant and beautiful capital, Mexico City. We visited spectacular interior colonial cities (Queretaro, and San Miguel de Allende), charming towns, villages, markets, and Spanish missions. All our stops were rich in history, culture, art, and nature with many UNESCO-recognized sites (and sites worthy of UNESCO recognition). It was stunning array of contrasting diverse landscapes that included bustling cities, towns, villages, deserts, savannas, highlands, mountains, jungles, lakes, streams, and waterfalls.
After exploring Mexico city for four nights, we drove to Queretaro and spent the night in a delightful and atmospheric 18th century palace (now a unique hotel). The next day, our group enjoyed a fantastic drive from the high desert plain all the way to the Sierra Madre rainforest. En route, we adventured through amazing granite mountains, missions, markets, and archeological sites before arriving in the small village of Xilitla.
Among the highlights of this tour was Las Pozas, a surrealist garden in the rain forest of the Sierra Madres, Mexico. It is the creation of Edward James (1907-1984), a British aristocrat, poet, and visionary. In the late 1940s, he moved to the village of Xilitla, Mexico, in the state of San Luis Potosí, where, in collaboration with local craftsmen and friends he fabricated elaborate symbolic shapes and organic designs that relate to a private cosmology predicated on surrealistic influences, and echo nature. Most of the structures are “follies” for amusement and surprise, never to be used for practical purposes. It's a delightful destination especially for cultural travelers, artists, and photographers. An experienced guide, Miguel Marques, led our group through the park-like Las Pozas site.
In Xilitla, our group had exclusive use of the Surrealist bed and breakfast, El Castillo. It was near Las Pozas and adjacent to the charming town square of Xilitla. FYI, Las Pozas was recently designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and there the garden's unique towers, sculptures and other oddities are now actively being preserved.
Our group spent two night exploring the celebrated UNESCO designated town of San Miguel de Allende. It is well-know and filled with beautiful cathedrals, architecture and rich Mexican history. Our last tour night was at a hotel adjacent to the Mexico City International Airport for convenient departures the next day.
Please view our photo galleries here below and leave your comments and questions at the bottom of this blog page.
Mexico City (Day/Night 1)
(Centro Historico, Zocalo)
AERIAL Video Clips (For Entire Tour)
An early morning flight from the rooftop of our Hotel “Downtown Mexico” -with a full moon setting next to the Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American Tower) in the distance.
Flight over the historic Hercules Textile factory headquarters in Queretaro, Mexico that will soon (re)open as a new luxury hotel.
Jardín Guerrero in the UNESCO world heritage historic center of Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico (aka Queretaro)
Sunday morning community activity in front of the UNESCO world heritage Mison Jalpan.
These Marine Fossils at El Madroño are the remains of organisms that lived 112 million years ago, when this area was submerged in a shallow sea. It is now under the protection of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
El Castillo was designed and built by Plutarco Gastelum, and was also the former home of the artist and eccentric English millionaire, Edward James. Plutarco would later become Edward's construction foreman at Las Pozas. It's now a guest house and beautiful colours, objects, shapes and shadows are everywhere.
The UNESCO world heritage designated Landa de Matamoros Mission was constructed between 1761 and 1770 with stone and mortar under the leadership of Junípero Serra after he took over evangelization of the area in 1750.
Eccentric British Surrealist Edward James created this garden between 1949 and 1984. Many of James’ structures had no intended functionality, their main purpose being purely for aesthetics.
Our group spent kitchen time helping prepare our lunch with fresh local ingredients, and then enjoyed a leisurely time in a lush poolside garden nestled in the hills near Xilitla,
The Peña de Bernal is one of the tallest monoliths in the world, and the charming nearby town is a great place to explore, dine, and shop.
Mexico City (Day/Night 2):
Diego Rivera Murals, Palacio de Belles Artes, Museo de Arte Popular
El Tigre Mezcal Tasting, House Concert & dancing! (Night 2)
Mexico City (Day/Night 3):
Chapultapec Palace, National Museum of Anthropology, Soumaya Museum
Mexico City (Day/Night 4)
Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli, Terraza Cha Cha Cha, Monumento a la Revolución
Santiago de Querétaro (Day/Night 5)
La Peña de Bernal(Day 6)
Jalpan de Serra (Day/Night 6)
Drive through Sierra Gorda Bioreserve, Casita Ecologica, Mission Jalpan de Serra, Sunday Market
Xilitla (Nights 7 & 8)
El Castillo, Sunday Huapango Dance, Sunday Market, Museo Leanora Carrington
Las Pozas (in Xilitla)
Xilitla Cooking Demonstration and Lunch
Villa Alaya
San Miguel de Allende (Nights 9 & 10)
Dolores Hidalgo (outside of San Miguel)
Sanctuary of Atotonilco, Dolores Hidalgo, Aurora Factory
Mexico City Airport Farewell (Night 11)
Please leave your comments and questions below!
FYI- We’re offering a six night 10-16 February 2023 (shorter) version of this tour (please click here to view tour page).
