Cortés & The Spanish Conquest of México Tour

After arriving to the city of Veracruz, catch a taxis to our hotel in the center of the city. There are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. We’ll sleep here for 2 nights.

We’ll meet our host guide for breakfast. He will give an overview of the history of Hernán Cortés and the events leading up to his voyage in 1519. We’ll then take a drive to view the coastline of the city of Veracruz and point out significant landmarks relating to the Spanish arrival.

Next,our group will head to the Veracruz Naval Museum to look at the exhibitions there which includes some history of the Spanish invasion. After lunch, we will have the afternoon and evening to explore on our own.  (B,L)

Today we’ll check out and continue our history tour north of the port city to the ruins of Quiahuiztlan, the small seaside village of Villa Rica where the Spaniards came ashore, and to the major Totonac city ruins of Cempoala. We will then follow the route of the Spaniards west to the small pre-Hispanic town of Xico and stay 2 nights there.  (B,L)

In Xico we’ll get to view how the landscape changed from the humid coast to the slightly cooler fog forest region. We will tour this town Cortés and his men traveled through and also take a scenic drive to visit a very tiny museum in Xico Viejo which has some information regarding the Spaniard’s march through this region. The rest of the afternoon and evening is free to explore on our own.  (B,L)

Leaving the state of Veracruz, we’ll travel through the state of Puebla and into Tlaxcala state to the site of the famous battle between the Tlaxcalans and the foreign invaders. Our guide will give us the details of the battle in Tzompantepec as well as the eventual treaty between them. We’ll sleep in Tlaxcala City for 2 nights.  (B,L)

Today we’ll meet up with a local guide to show us around Tlaxcala City and visit the colorfully detailed murals which portrays the history of this region, including the battle and eventual treaty with the Spaniards. Then we will explore the Saturday market and have an authentic street food lunch. The rest of the afternoon and evening is free to explore on our own.  (B,L)

Before leaving Tlaxcala City, we’ll visit the nearby town of Tizatlán where Cortés, his men, and allies retreated from Tenochtitlán to tend to their wounds and to construct several brigantine ships for a counter-attack. Later, we will travel to city of Cholula in Puebla state to learn about the reasons for the gruesome Spanish attack on its citizens. We’ll stay in Cholula for 1 night.  (B,L)

We’ll continue following the Spanish trek westward to the small pre-Hispanic town of Calpan. After a short break and a quick look around, our journey will then take us up a rough road to the top of an 11,000 ft. mountain pass, now known as Paso de Cortés. At the top, we will stretch our legs and if the weather is clear, we can get some great views of the two volcanos, Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl. Then we will descend into the valley of central México and to México City where we will sleep for 3 nights.  (B,L)

This morning our group will take the Metro train to the Hospital de Jesus. It was the first hospital built by the Spanish and is also near the place where Moctezuma met the Europeans and where the buried remains of Cortés is located. Afterwards, we will head to the big plaza and to the site of Templo Mayor. Our historian guide will lead us through the ruins and also through the museum there.  (B,L)

Our first place of interest today will be the ruins of Tlatelolco. This was the last section of the city captured by the Spaniards. Then we head to the National Museum of Anthropology where our guide will take us to the exhibit area that relates to the Aztecs. Afterwards, we will have time on our own to continue touring the museum and/or go explore the nearby Chapultepec Castle. In the evening, we will all met up again for a farewell dinner.  (B,L,D)

After breakfast, our tour officially ends.  (B)
Buen Viaje!