ARTISTIC MEXICO

Mexico is a diverse country with hidden treasures around every corner. From bustling cities to tiny pueblos, this unique part of the world is chock-full of surprises and delights. Join our art history tour and discover the lives of famous Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Each day is filled with culturally immersive experiences, delicious cuisine, and unforgettable art, architecture, and landscapes. Find out more about the more artistic side of Mexico!

 

Inside The Casa Azul

 

Mexico City

A sprawling metropolis of over 20 million, Mexico City can be an overwhelming place to visit, particularly when taking into account the myriad museums, archeological sites, artisans, and restaurants it has to offer. Casa Azul is Frida Kahlo’s family home and is now a museum showcasing her paintings and personal belongings. You can tour the residence itself, wandering around the living rooms, kitchen, studio, and gardens. Arrive on the last Wednesday of the month and you can explore the house accompanied by an actor in full Frida garb. Whatever day you visit, though, it’s likely to be busy.

 

Frida Kahlo Museum

 

The Museum of Modern Art (Museo de arte Moderno – MAM) is among the biggest museums of its kind in Latin America. An extraordinary collection focuses on the evolution of modern art in Mexico, especially with the Mexican School of Painting and the Breakaway Generation. Found in the Chapultepec Park, the museum is housed in two circular buildings with two floors each and divided into four halls, and a gallery.  A remarkable sculpture garden connects the two buildings. The Xavier Villaurrutia and Carlos Pellicer halls allow visitors to admire the museum’s considerable permanent collection. This includes works by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, and Frida Kahlo, among others.

 

Museum of Modern Art

 

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is not just one of the most prominent buildings in the country, it’s also the major Fine Arts institution for the whole country and has been for decades. The Palacio de Bellas Artes main entrance houses sculptures by the Italian artist Leonardo Bistolfi. Multiple cherubs and similar sculptures represent music and inspiration. The plaza in front of the building, also designed by Boari, includes four Pegasus sculptures by the Catalan artist Agustí Querol Subirats. The roof covering the center of the building is made of crystal designed by the Hungarian Géza Maróti and depicts the muses with Apollo. A “Pergola,” on the Alameda side of the site had been built to host gallery exhibitions, but this was demolished in 1973.

 

Palacio de Bellas Artes

 

Cuernavaca and Taxco

Cuernavaca is a beautiful city surrounded by an unparalleled charm that has long delighted national and international tourism. The warmth of its climate and its people make it the ideal destination for a Mexico City visit. Cuernavaca is also known as the “City of Eternal Spring” due to its mild weather, is only an hour away from Mexico City. The first guests of Cuernavaca are essential characters in the history of Mexico: Hernán Cortés the Conquistador, Maximilian of Habsburg the Emperor of Mexico, the muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, and the explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who gave this city its nickname. There’s always been a formidable glamour surrounding Cuernavaca (kwehr-nah-vah-kah), the capital of Morelos state. With its vast, gated haciendas and sprawling estates, it has traditionally attracted high-society visitors year-round for its warmth, clean air, and attractive architecture. Today this tradition continues, even though urban sprawl has put a decisive end to the clean air and you’re more likely to see vacationing North Americans and college students studying Spanish on monthlong courses than meet international royalty or great artists in the street.

 

Cuernavaca Church

 

Taxco is the only place in Mexico where silver was extracted, turned into beautiful precious jewelry, and sold to all the shops in Mexico and all over the world. However the Pueblo Magico of Taxco is not only famous for its silver mines, but for its’ hilly and winding narrow cobblestones roads, its numerous churches, convents, and haciendas witness its sad history of conquest and religious subjugation, the natural beauties of the surroundings and much more.

 

Taxco

 

San Miguel De Allende

 

Vibrantly colored buildings line the cobblestone streets of San Miguel de Allende, a romantic city with 16th-century origins nestled among central Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains. Through the past 50 years, this quaint city has evolved into a respite for ex-pats and a popular destination for tourists looking to delve into the music, food, and arts scene of off-the-beaten-path Mexico. It's easy to swoon over the 500-year-old colonial city's narrow walkways, baroque architecture, and artisan shops selling plenty of crafts, jewelry, and handmade accessories.

 

San Miguel de Allende

 

Breaks from shopping can be spent exploring the city's defining Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel church, taking classes at the well-recognized Instituto Allende art school, or discovering handcrafted Mexican masks at the Another Face of Mexico mask museum. One of the best things to do in San Miguel de Allende is soak up the local culture by seeing some live music or attending a gallery opening.  There’s ALWAYS something interesting going on in this city!

 

Parade in San Miguel de Allende

The best way to find out what’s going on in San Miguel is by picking up a copy of Atención, San Miguel’s local newspaper.  Atención has a section called “Que Pasa? The city center of San Miguel de Allende (Centro Historico) was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008. The city is significant in Mexican history because of its role in the Mexican War of Independence, and the preservation of colonial-era architecture in this part of the city were two important factors in its designation. In addition to San Miguel’s rich cultural heritage, the city has a modern twist to its cobblestone streets in the form of world-class boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. It truly is a mix unlike anywhere else in Mexico, and absolutely worth visiting.

 

Church Entrance

If you are interested in the artistic side of Mexican culture, then our Artistic Mexico tour is the perfect vacation for you! Ask here for more information about The Artistic Mexico tour here!