Arrival at Mexico City’s International Airport, hotel check-in, and group dinner at the chosen hotel. If time allows, we will go for a first visit to the Basilica of Guadalupe and an evening view of the miraculous Tilma There we will have time for Mass, prayer, and thanksgiving, before returning to the hotel.

After breakfast, we will go to the Villa de Guadalupe, the area where the Basilica and other chapels and shrines dedicated in the last 470 years to our Lady are located, with ample time to get acquainted and for prayer. We will participate in Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady. Afterwards, we will Visit the Old Basilica, now the Perpetual Adoration Templo. We will also climb the Tepeyac Hill where the miracle of the Roses happened and where tradition holds that the first time a Rosary should be prayed during the ascent. At the top we will visit the Chapel of the Hill and on the way down we will visit the Chapel of the Well and the Parish of Indians. After a full day we will return downtown for dinner and if the group desires, we will go to the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palace of the Archbishop where the Tilma was presented to the Bishop before returning to the hotel.

After breakfast, we will start our day going to the Plaza of the Three Cultures in Santiago Tlaltelolco, visiting the Temple of Saint James the Apostle, built in 1527 and the place where St. Juan Diego was baptized before the Apparitions and where he went for Catechism three days a week. From there we will continue on the road St. Juan Diego used to walk to his house in Cuautitlán. We will participate in Mass at the Church of the Little Hill, which was built over the remains of St. Juan Diego’s house where we will visit the underground museum. Afterwards we will go tonearby Tepotzotlán, one of Mexico’s Magic Towns. They hold the structure, architecture and ways of life during Colonial times. We will visit the Church and ex-convent of St. Francis Xavier, now the National Museum of the Viceroy Period, in order to understand the ways of life during the Colonial times. We will have dinner with a view of the plaza and St. Francis Xavier’s temple with time for sightseeing before we return to our hotel.

After we have had breakfast, we will go East, going through the volcanic area which surrounds Mexico City on our way to the town of Ocotlán, in the State of Tlaxcala to visit the Basilica of Ocotlán – a joyous example of religious art with a rare view of the Virgin’s Dressing Chamber, one of the very few examples still in use. We will participate in Mass here. Then we will ride on to the city of Puebla to visit the Church of St. Francis, where the uncorrupt body of the Beatified Sebastian of Apparitious is located. Early dinner will be downtown in a traditional Mexican restaurant. Then, onto St. Dominick’s Church, to pray the Rosary at the glorious Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, known as the jewel of Baroque art which shows the joy of our Catholic faith. We will also visit the extraordinary Cathedral of Puebla of the Angels. After these spiritual and cultural experiences, we will return to Mexico City at night for for a light supper on your own and some well-deserved rest.

Once rested from the hectic day we have just enjoyed we will have a leisurely breakfast with the group and then we will participate in Mass at the Church of the Holy Family where the remains of the Beatified Miguel Pro are located. He is one of the martyrs of the Christian wars in Mexico during the early XX century. After mass we will go to the Museum of Anthropology which holds one of the most important collections of Pre-Hispanic art and of the life and traditions of our native cultures in contemporary times. We will have an early dinner in the museum before we go to a traditional crafts market in the down-town area after which we will return to our hotel for the night.

We will start the day with breakfast and then ride to Tulpetlac for a Mass at the Church of the Fifth Apparition, where St. Juan Diego’s uncle was miraculously healed. Here we will hopefully have a talk and time for prayer with the Brothers of St. Juan Diego, a Mexican-American religious order working with the poor of the area. From here, we will go to San Juan Teotihuacán, one of the most important archaeological centers of Pre-Hispanic America. We will have dinner with the group, with enough time to visit and shop. Return to Mexico City to the hotel for the night.

We will walk with our group to the Blue Tiles Sanborn’s, one of the most traditional restaurants in downtown Mexico. Then we will cross the street in order to go into the Palace of Fine Arts to see, hear, and experience the Folkloric Ballet. Afterwards there will be time to rest or walk in the downtown area. Individual lunch is suggested. By the early afternoon we will visit the Basilica area with plenty time for prayer and in order to participate in Mass at the Chapel of the Well or the Parish of Indians. After this spiritual experience we will return to the Majestic Hotel for a farewell dinner and then back to our hotel to start packing.

Depending on the hour of the return flight we will make an early visit to the Church of St. Phillip Neri for Mass and then have the last breakfast with the group. If time allows, a last visit to the Basilica or time downtown for last-minute shopping. We will then gather everybody’s luggage and check-out from the hotel. We will take a final ride to the international airport in order to return to U.S.A., ending the visit to Mexico, but hopefully with a renewed view on life.