Our Lady of Guadalupe Pilgrimage Tour

Go to your local airport to board your flight(s) to Mexico City. Upon arrival, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area and continue to the Arrival Hall, where a tour guide and driver will greet you.  Transfer to your hotel – usually, the Le Meridien pictured on the left is a highly rated four-star Mariott property.  Enjoy some free time before celebrating Mass and dinner.  Overnight in Mexico City.

After breakfast, you will depart for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, through the Plaza of the Three Cultures. You will first visit the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco, where St. Juan Diego was baptized.  The plaza is important as it symbolizes the blend of the pre-Hispanic and Hispanic cultures that make up Mexico.  Continue to the Basilica Shrine of Guadalupe, built in response to Our Lady’s request to the visionary St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin.  Upon arrival at the Shrine, you will celebrate Mass as you marvel at the brilliantly colored Basilica.  After Mass, join other pilgrims as you kneel before the Tilma, where Our Lady’s image was miraculously imprinted.

Following this visit, you will visit San Juan Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  According to mythology, this site was chosen to be the center of the universe, and from then on, it became a prominent political and religious center from the second century until the ninth century.  While in San Juan Teotihuacan, you will enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant and a guided tour of the Archaeological zone.  View the Sun and Moon pyramids and learn how the Aztecs used to work the obsidian stone and the multiple uses of the Maguey Plant.  Your busy day will culminate with a delicious dinner and an overnight.

Enjoy a spectacular drive to what is known as Mexico’s most beautiful city – Puebla.  On your ride, you will climb over 10,000 feet above sea level and view two magnificent peaks: one covered with snow and an active volcano.  Upon arrival in Puebla, a typical Mexican lunch is waiting with an option to enjoy chicken mole (pronounced mo-lay).  This famous and celebrated Mexican sauce originates from the Catholic nuns in Puebla.  After lunch, visit Puebla’s magnificent St. Dominic’s Church and its Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, with a sumptuous decoration of onyx, gilded plasterwork, paintings, and tiles covered with 22-carat gold leaf make the chapel unique, considered the eighth wonder of the New World and named a “reliquary of America” by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1979.  Next, we will visit the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, where you will view the incorrupt body of Franciscan Friar Blessed Sebastián of Aparicio, who had an excellent reputation for holiness and was named the Angel of Mexico.  Sebastian is a patron saint of travelers.   Mass at one of the churches in Puebla.  Return to Mexico City for dinner and overnight.

This morning, your day will begin with breakfast, followed by Mass at the Holy Family Church, where you will view the tomb of Fr. Miguel Agustin Pro, the Jesuit martyr.  Fr. Pro was exiled from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution a time of religious persecution.  However, he returned to Mexico, aided by a secret ministry that helped him hide from authorities.  During his time in Mexico, he assisted many individuals in their spiritual and temporal needs.  He was eventually discovered, arrested, and killed by authorities.  While at the Holy Family Church, you may pray to this great martyr who remained filled with the joy of serving Our Lord even amid difficult times.  You will also visit the small but very inspiring Museum dedicated in honor of Father Pro.  After this visit, you will tour the oldest and largest cathedral in  Latin America, the Metropolitan Cathedral.  You will be overwhelmed by the beautiful paintings, altarpieces, and statues throughout your time in the cathedral.  Your tour continues with a transfer to the National Palace.  This magnificent palace has been a building of the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec Empire’s rule.  During this visit, you will be able to view some amazing murals painted by Diego Rivera.  You will then visit the Plaza of Santo Domingo.  This plaza contains an architecturally exquisite Holy place: the Church of Santo Domingo.    The church was built by the Dominican Friars in 1576, and inside is the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary.   This church also contains the tomb of explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado.  He is well known for having explored the Southwest region of the United States and discovering the Grand Canyon.  Additionally, you will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, the headquarters of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary.  The Shrine is dedicated to the Patron Saint of Asturias in Spain.  Return to your hotel to enjoy a delicious dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, transfer to the Church of the 5th Apparition, where the Blessed Virgin Maria de Guadalupe appeared to Juan Bernardino, Juan Diego’s uncle.  Here, you can find a well of healing water that locals drink.  Next, a return visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to attend Mass.  Free time in the afternoon to pray or shop before dinner and overnight in Mexico.

After breakfast and fond farewells to new friends, you will transfer to the airport for the return flights home.