La Guelaguetza, Oaxaca

Dates of arrival – Jul, 14 and 21, 2017

Day 1. Oaxaca

Arrival in the Oaxaca city. Transfer to the hotel.

Sightseeing tour around the city: St. Domingo's church, Zocalo, Cathedral, the Government Palace.

Day 2. Oaxaca – Tule – Teotitlán – Mitla – Cascades Hierve el Agua

Breakfast at the hotel.

A visit to the archaeological site Mitla. Along the way you’ll see the Tree of Tule, considered the largest tree by volume in the world. The structure of the trunk of this juniper looks like a lot of fused trunks of trees, in the interplay of which having a good imagination you can see the different shapes.

Arrival in the town Teotitlan for visit and for getting acquainted with traditions, customs, arts and crafts of local people of the Zapotec Indians.

Arrival in Mitla, visit of the main buildings decorated with complex geometric mosaic designs. In the column hall next to the burial of ancestors Zapotec found a stone of life. If you hug it, the distance from one hand to the other will indicate the number of years remaining until death.

A visit of the petrified waterfalls Hierve el Agua, formed thousands of years ago because of high saturated with minerals water. It is still present here: on the top of the waterfalls there are two hot springs, which are currently used as a balneological resort. If the time allows, you can also a visit a factory for the production of mescal.

Return to the hotel. Rest.

Day 3. Oacxaca – Monte Alban – Cuilapan – San Bartolo Coyotepec

Breakfast at the hotel.

A visit to the archaeological site of Monte Alban, founded by Olmecs. It is located on the top of the artificially leveled hill with a magnificent view of the Oaxaca Valley. Important monuments that can be enjoyed: the observatory with a particular astronomical orientation, the main square, surrounded by terraces, palaces, platforms; the stele of dancers, which is the foundation blocks with bas-reliefs of dancing people (as was believed) that got the name "dancers". Bas-reliefs with "dancers" have been studied for a long time, until the researchers were not able to see that not dancing, but weary of suffering people was depicted on monuments, which in turn led to the conjecture that the city was an important center for the study of medicine of that era.

Next, a visit to Cuilapan de Guerrero, where Don Vicente Guerrero was shot. Then a visit to San Bartolo Coyotepec, where pots are made of black clay.

Return to Oaxaca for the play “The legend of Donají”, telling about the Zapotec princess.

Day 4. Oaxaca

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure to the audience, which will host La Guelaguetza. It is a festival where you can see folk performance of all regions of the state, as well as competition for the selection of the Queen – the Goddess Centeotl (Indian goddess of corn). Also at the festival various ethnic dishes are as well represented.

Return to the hotel. Free time.

Day 5. Oaxaca

Breakfas at the hotel. Free time.

At the appointed time, transfer to the airport or bus station.

The price includes:

• comfortable, air-conditioned transport and travel insurance for the trip;
• accommodation in Oaxaca;
• breakfasts and 2 lunches buffet (not drinks);
• entrance fees trough the itinerary;
• English-speaking guide.