As December approaches, the vibrant traditions of Mexico come to life in new ways. In a country with strong historical ties, cultural celebrations dating back to colonial times and beyond take the forefront in communities all over Mexico. Everywhere you go, the holiday season is marked by robust flavors, colors and aromas. Seasonal food and goods become available, offering fresh experiences even to veteran travelers. The spirit of Mexico in December is enchanting and an opportunity to enjoy unforgettable festivities.

Mexican Celebrations in December

For nine days stretching from December 16th to the 24th, the Mexican Posadas take place. Singing processions travel the streets with candles, reenacting St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary’s trek through Bethlehem in search of shelter. Residents in nearby homes play the roles of innkeepers who refused to help the travelers until Joseph and Mary are received at a designated area. In many places, the procession is beautifully detailed with angels, pilgrims, shepherds and children carrying poinsettias. The entire scene is performed in song and at the final location the participants share prayers of thanks before enjoying a marvelous feast.

Throughout the month, visitors are sure to see Nativity scenes decorating homes, churches and several public venues. Scenes of Jesus’ birth in a manger are carefully laid out with ceramic figures often representing the Biblical characters. Along the streets of Mexico, these scenes range from simple setups to elaborate designs with breathtaking detail. As December 24th arrives, families gather for a nourishing meal on Christmas Eve, honoring the Nativity scene with prayer and gratitude.

Holiday Markets in Mexico

Public areas quickly transform into scenes of holiday cheer with attractive Christmas decorations. As the holiday is widely celebrated in Mexico, special markets are arranged where locals can purchase Christmas decorations, supplies for the Nativity scene and other seasonal items. For the children, holiday candy is a common attraction, and of course, the bright and inviting plazas are great place for amusement and mingling.

Where to Vacation in Mexico in December

If you want to experience the holiday season in Mexico, visit the colonial cities for an up-close look at the rich cultural traditions.

Mexico City

The country’s dynamic capital is one of the most exciting places to visit worldwide. From bustling bazaars full of exquisite artisan jewelry, glassware, silver and weavings to the astonishing archaeological sites of ancient civilizations, Mexico City is pulsing with invigorating culture, living history and thriving arts. Visitors are charmed by the Zocalo plaza and quaint colonial layout of the city, which features stunning architectural landmarks that house museums, cathedrals, galleries and government offices. The homes of remarkable figures like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera still stand in remembrance of their work while just beyond the city the ruins of Teotihuacan tell the story of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic ancestors, the Aztecs. To find out more visit our Mexico City tour, one of several private journeys to the city.

Other Destinations

Guanajuato, located in central Mexico, is another destination for a memorable vacation. In this colonial heartland, the city is still home to incredible Baroque architecture and underground pathways such as Boca Mina, a famous mine once coveted for its silver. For the traveler who enjoys diverse entertainment, the city is bursting with thrilling nightlife, chic restaurants, live music and boutique hotels with luxury amenities.

Just a few towns away, Patzcuaro lies amidst charming artisan communities where visitors can truly dive into the local cultural, from tasting traditional cuisine to checking out the artisan and copper workshops. Or if you prefer to see a UN World Heritage site, travel to nearby Morelia for authentic souvenirs from Michoacan markets and a chance to see the city’s treasured historic center. Wherever you decide to visit, the holiday season is sure to bring impressive festivities that will be remembered for years to come.

Travelers who enjoy immersing themselves in exciting, colorful cultural events will be thrilled by Mexico’s Fiestas Patrias. Taking place on September 15 and 16 every year, the Fiestas Patrias celebrate Mexico’s independence. The people of Mexico enjoy gathering with family and friends for parties and get-togethers in the days leading up to these important holidays.

Immerse Yourself in Mexican Culture

Contrary to popular belief outside of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo isn’t the day on which the Mexican people celebrate their independence. While May 5 commemorates an important battle victory, the real independence day occurs on September 16. This patriotic holiday is celebrated throughout Mexico with parades, parties and public gatherings.

The Fiestas Patrias events actually begin on the evening on September 15. High-ranking government officials and many individuals throughout Mexico re-enact an event called the Grito de Dolores. This call to independence was issued by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest who called the people to revolt and claim their independence.

Travelers who are interested in experiencing Mexican culture from the inside out will enjoy attending public events and festivities during Fiestas Patrias. The majority of citizens celebrate whole heartedly during this time. Thanks to beautiful fall temperatures, it is truly a perfect time for visitors to dive into Mexican culture.

Enjoy Fiestas Patrias in Beautiful Mexico City

There is no better city in which to celebrate the Fiestas Patrias than the nation’s capitol, Mexico City. A private tour of this charming, historic city offers the perfect way to familiarize one’s self with Mexican history and culture. The site of the Aztec capital in the 14th century, Mexico City became the capitol of New Spain in the 16th century after conquistadors conquered the Aztec empire.

Mexico City is a fitting name for the site of what was once the legendary Aztec capital in the 14th century, the colonial holding of New Spain in the 16th century, and the backdrop for some of the most significant moments of the Mexican Revolution in the 20th century. The rich cultural development that defines Mexico as a country is so vibrantly embodied in the historic landscape and architecture of Mexico City, the subtle modernization of ancient cuisine, the blending of diverse populations, and the evolution of art and commerce across the region.

Historic Mexico City

If you’re planning a relaxing Mexican vacation, Journey Mexico’s enriching tour of Mexico City is the perfect way to jumpstart your trip. The contemporary face of greater Mexico City is still closely acquainted with the past, and every element – from its inhabitants to the local attractions – reinforces those historical ties. Right at the heart of the city lies one of the largest town squares in the world, the Zocalo, a place where ancient Aztec ceremonies were held and Spanish viceroys were presented during colonial times. Now, it stands as the political seat of the city and a breathtaking stage for all sorts of festivals and dynamic performances.

If you wandered the streets of greater Mexico City, you would be enchanted by rows of charming artisan boutiques and enticing restaurants. Not to mention, two of the region’s cultural gems await, the bazaars of Artesanal de Coyocan and San Angel, brimming with exquisite handcrafted pottery, jewelry, silverwork, tapestries and more. Along those same pathways, you would encounter theaters and concert halls performing the works of classical masters, museums filled with centuries old artifacts, and buildings that have stood for just as long. The Catedral Metropolitano is one such architectural masterpiece, a majestic successor to the sacred Aztec structure it replaced and the most extensive cathedral in the Americas.

Mexico City Attractions

It’s impossible to visit this stunning region without feeling captivated by both its natural and man-made landmarks. All around, Mexico City and its surrounding towns are encircled by colossal structures. The towering peaks of the snow-capped volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl are visible from miles away, and just beyond the city proper, the Aztec archaeological ruins of Teotihuacan are preserved, populated with grand pyramids decorated with unrivaled artistry.

Many of Mexico’s celebrated figures originated here and their famous haunts still stand in dedication, including the former homes of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Even if you’re a frequent traveler to the area, Journey Mexico can offer insider info on a variety of inconspicuous locales with ties to renowned international figures. For instance, literature connoisseurs will be intrigued by the obscure spots where famed Beatnik writers like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg discovered discovered much of their inspiration.

Guided Mexico City Tour

You could easily find your way to some of the most exciting attractions in Mexico City and the equally thrilling cities of Puebla, Taxco, Cuernevaca and beyond. But then you’d never understand the remarkable significance behind each building, road and community. Join Journey Mexico for one of the best Mexico City tours; an extraordinary guided trip that will reveal a fresh, multi-layered perspective of greater Mexico City like you’ve never seen before.

Considering a spring vacation in Mexico? Here’s five of our top luxury destinations and accompanying hotels in Mexico for the discerning traveler.

Spring is a great time to travel, and Mexico is closer than you think. Although temperatures are excellent throughout the year, spring is exceptional in most destinations. Here are 5 top luxury Mexico vacations for this spring:

Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas, located in Baja California, is famous for whale watching, sea kayaking and coastal hiking. For the most luxurious accommodations, we recommend Hotel Las Ventanas, a 5-star venue in Cabo San Lucas. This upscale resort is all about pampering! Relax in front of your suite’s terra cotta fireplace, renew your soul in our world-class spa or savor the gourmet cuisine in one of the on-site eateries. The Hotel Las Ventanas is a Mexican paradise nestled between the ocean and the desert.

Riviera Maya
Located on the historic Yucatan Peninsula, you can experience the best of the old and new when you stay at the Hotel Rosewood Mayakoba on the Riviera Maya. Surrounded by the lush jungle with white Caribbean beaches at your doorstep, this luxury resort is the perfect mixture of natural beauty and sophisticated refinement. Here are a few things you can do during your stay:

• View the ancient Mayan ruins including Edzna, Chichen Itza and Coba.
• Float the peaceful waters at Celestun, an innovative eco-reserve.
• Explore Valladolid, a beautiful colonial town.
• Bask in the glory of the Mexican sun and cool off in the bright-turquoise Caribbean waters!

Mexico City
One of the largest and most industrious cities in the world, Mexico City offers the perfect mix of modern sophistication and old-world tradition. During your stay, you’ll discover some of the finest dining and shopping in the world as well a variety of cultural sites like the Catedral Metropolitana, Palacio Nacional and Teotihuacan. If you’re looking for a great place to stay, we recommend the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico. In addition to a luxurious room and world-class service, this hotel has a spectacular view of Mexico City’s Historic Centre!

Puebla

If your mouth waters at the thought of authentic Mexican cuisine, Puebla is the perfect destination for your next trip south of the border!  In addition to sampling the local fare, you can learn to make some of these dishes by taking the Mexican Cooking Course at Meson Sacristia.  If you’re planning a visit to this 2012 internationally recognized destination, we recommend the Hotel La Purificadora. This boutique hotel, once a water-purification plant, was renovated by legendary Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta.

Guanajuato
Visit the heart of Mexico to learn more about this country’s past. Discover the colonial architecture, learn more about famous Mexican artists and view one of the world’s biggest silver mines. While you’re visiting Guanajuato, stay at the Quinta Las Acacias, an exclusive, four-diamond hotel with just 17 opulent rooms. The décor is a mixture of classic European styles mixed with traditional Mexican craftsmanship.

These top luxury Mexico vacations are considered safe for travel by the US Department of State, so come and enjoy!

Part of the allure of a vacation abroad is the promise of something a little more exotic than your area hotels. In fact, some travelers are a little disappointed by the cookie-cutter resorts that line the coastal areas of the more touristy parts of the world. Other than a slight accent and the local landscaping, the food and the accommodations feel so familiar that they might as well have stayed at home.

To satisfy this niche in the travel industry, two completely new boutique hotels are opening their doors in Mexico this coming year to offer their guests something a little different. Here’s a closer look at each one:

Habita’s Eco Hotel Endémico Resguardo Silvestre

Although its urban hotels are nothing short of striking, the Habita Hotel Group has taken a different approach with their newest property. The Eco Hotel Endémico Resguardo Silvestre features 20 stark, modern units situated on a rocky hillside within a 40-acre winery in Baja California.

Each unit, or room, has its own terrace and clay chimenea to warm up a chilly evening. However, this rustic, eco-friendly retreat isn’t without its luxuries. Leave your sleek, minimalistic accommodations by the primitive pathway to tour the grounds. Along the way, you’ll encounter a luxurious pool dramatically cut into the hillside and a gourmet restaurant ran by the Culinary Arts School of Tijuana.

If you’re looking for something different on your annual getaway, you can definitely find it a little more than an hour south of the border! This trip might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely different from home.

Hotel Downtown in Mexico City

Another Grupo Habita property scheduled to open in March 2012, this new hotel will be located in front of the Casino Español in charming Isabel la Católica. In an exceptional repurposing effort, this boutique hotel is a renovated palace originally built in the 17th century. Hotel Downtown will offer 17 boutique rooms and 17 hostel rooms to meet a variety of needs and budgets. Expected to be a favorite for visitors to Mexico City, make your arrangements early to guarantee a room in this historic palace.

Whether you prefer to kick back in the standard luxury of a big-name resort or soak up the local culture in a secluded, private villa or a traditional Mexican hotel, Journey Mexico can make it happen! We can tailor your accommodations and itinerary to meet your individual needs and interests if one of our established tours doesn’t appeal to your sense of adventure. Give us a call today!

Let us help you plan an exotic Mexico vacation today!
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#MexicoToday: Under the hustle and bustle of modern Mexico City lie the ruins of the pre-Hispanic Aztec capital, once known as Tenochtitlán.  The center of this ancient capital was the Templo Mayor, which archeologists discovered in the mid 1900s and excavated in the seventies under the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral. Still a site for active digs, archeologists have recently discovered an Aztec ceremonial platform while doing remodeling work around the Templo Mayor in the centro historico, one of downtown Mexico City’s main attractions.

This newly discovered ceremonial platform is speculated to have been built around AD 1469 and is decorated with carvings of serpent heads, important in determining what the platform was used for.  A critical piece in a challenging puzzle for historians, this platform could represent a cremation site for Aztec rulers.  To date, archeologists have never found any royal Aztec tombs in their excavations of the ancient capital.  Researchers have been on a five-year quest to unearth remains of Aztec emperors around the Templo Mayor basing their digs on old historical accounts of cremation ceremonies written by Roman Catholic priests who accompanied the Spanish conquest in 1521. The records suggest that the Aztec rulers were cremated at the foot of the Templo Mayor and this platform may be part of the same structure.  Archeologists around the world agree that the discovery of a royal tomb would be a major break through in understanding Aztec kingship, burial and the structure of the empire.

The blend of pre-Hispanic and modern cultures in Mexico City and the continual discovery of ancient history in this metropolitan capital make the city a unique destination for the savvy traveler.  While this new platform will continue to be excavated until possibly May 2012,  the Templo Mayor and it’s adjacent museum in the Historic Center of Mexico City (included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list), remain open to the public. If you are interested in visiting Mexico City or other archaeological sites, contact Journey Mexico.

#MexicoToday: In the beginning of the year, we reported the Government investment of 330 million pesos in the the Barrios Magicos (Magical Neighborhoods) program in Mexico City. An initiative led by the Secretary of Tourism of the Federal District, the Barriós Magico Turisticos de la Ciudad de Mexico program proposed to showcase the most culturally rich spaces of Mexico City area to increase tourism.

After months of revision of many neighborhoods, a total of 21 have met the standards and requirements to be certified as a Magical Neighborhood.  The requirements were modeled after the national ‘Magic Towns’ program, having to meet the criteria of either holding some wealth of historic, architectural, cultural, gastronomic, or folkloric image to spark interest in visitors.  It also mandated that access roads to these neighborhoods must adhere to standards of security and cleanliness, while also controlling any unappealing activity so the area remains attractive. The designated budget for these 21 neighborhoods would help provide in maintaining the standards

The 21 Magical Neighborhoods that made the list are: Coyoacán, Roma-Condesa, Xochimilco, San Ángel, San Agustín de las Cuevas, Santa María La Ribera, Zona Rosa, Garibaldi, Villa de Guadalupe, Mixcoac, Tacubaya, Santa María Magdalena Atlitic, Azcapotzalco, La Merced, Mixquic, Cuajimalpa, San Pedro Atocpan, Culhuacán, Tacuba, Santa Julia and Pueblo de Ixtacalco.

Though the 21 neighborhoods blend to make up the entire urban area, they each conserve a distinguishable identity and environment, creating small pockets of culture and tradition sprinkled throughout Mexico City.  Particular points of history, quaint restaurants, hidden museums, flourishing plazas, and beautiful chapels add particular charm to these neighborhoods, connecting normal daily lifestyle with remembrances of the past. Some of the attractions in these neighborhoods have already been internationally recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, such as the Luis Barragán House and Studio in Tacubaya and also the zone of Xochimilco that have canals that are a reminder of the pre-Hispanic Aztecs. Other sites of interest that are already well-known include the house of renowned artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, in Coyoacán and also one of the most visited churches in the world, La Basílica de Guadalupe in the neighborhood of Villa de Guadalupe. But as the program points out, the neighborhoods don’t necessarily have to have a specific point of interest to qualify as a Barrio Magico; it could simply be the ambiance and character of an area that earns it Magic Neighborhood status, as is the case  in Roma-Condesa, one of the trendiest and most artsy neighborhoods in Mexico.

As interest in travel to Mexico continues to rise, Mexico hopes to designate more Magical Neighborhoods over the next three years. Government and residents plan to continue to work together to conserve these areas and offer better options of culture, recreation, hospitality, and gastronomy to their visitors.

#MexicoToday: It seems that the ancient people of Chalcatzingo, located about 60 miles south of Mexico City, fostered some serious artists. Since the 1930′s, more than 40 large stone carvings have been found in the area in which they lived. Just recently, a new five foot by three-and-a-half foot carving has been discovered, which has been deemed “spectacular” by archeologists familiar with these types of works. The carving depicts three felines, thought to be either jaguars or mountain lions, who are reported to have supernatural traits such as “flamed eyebrows,” associated with the ancient Olmec customs.

The Chalcatzingo, who flourished around 1500 to 400 B.C., were not technically Olmecs themselves, but it is believed that the Chalcatzingo traded heavily with the Olmecs and adopted many of their customs and beliefs. While several of the carvings found in the Chalcatzingo region do contain Olmec symbols, however, the Chalcatzingo carvings differ in that they were usually carved as raised figures on a flat background (as shown in the image above). The Olmec works, in contrast, were usually carved as three-dimensional sculptures.

Interestingly enough, this new-found carving, deemed the “Triad of Felines” by its finders, is believed to be just a piece in a much larger display. Scientists are theorizing that the Triad of Felines was a part of a massive frieze built into the Chalcatzingo hill, which overlooks the region. The frieze is thought to have served as sort of a “spiritual billboard” along a pilgrimage route up the countryside.

Month after month, the ancient cultures of Mexico continue to offer fresh insight into their cultures through artifacts like this Triad of Felines. Archeological travel enthusiasts have been rejoicing as this discovery comes just months after two sculptures of Mayan Warriors were discovered at Toniná and new photographs were taken inside an ancient tomb at Palenque, continually exemplifying the profound travel experiences available in Mexico today.

You can read more about the Triad of Felines at National Geographic