We begin our first full day on pilgrimage with Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Afterward, we will take time to encounter Our Lady in the tilma.  It is said that she is still appearing – experts believe it is a "continuing" apparition of Our Lady! 

We then head 27 miles northeast of Mexico City to visit Teotihuacan, which is a vast Mexican archaeological complex. Running down the middle of the site, which was once a flourishing pre-Columbian city, is the Avenue of the Dead. It links the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, the latter two with panoramic views from their summits.

Time permitting, upon our return to Mexico City, we will walk through Chapultepec Park to the Fountain of Nezahualcoyotl. The fountain is a beautiful monument carved with scenes from the life of the fifteenth-century ruler of the Aztec city-state Tetzcoco, Nezahualcoyotl.  Nezahualcoyotl was considered by his peers to be the greatest poet of ancient Mexico.  Joseph and Monique will use this background to further explain the setting for the arrival of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Aztec people. 

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Our Sunday will begin with Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the most important churches in America; its majestic proportions make it a masterpiece. It frames the north side of the Plaza de la Constitución, the capital's main square - also known as the Zócalo, and is the most representative monument of the Historic Center of Mexico City. Its prolonged construction from 1573 to 1813 is a compendium of architectural styles that successively predominated in the New Spain era.

After Mass, we will enjoy a walk through the Zócalo on our way to the Templo Mayor, a museum of the pre-Hispanic and colonial heritage of Mexico. Lunch will be a relaxing traditional Mexican meal.

Time permitting, we'll take a short walk to the Plaza of Santo Domingo to visit the first church built by the Dominicans in 1576. Housed within is the first rosary shrine in Mexico, Our Lady of the Rosary and a second shrine, Our Lady of Covadonga (the headquarters of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, founded in 1538). 

Late afternoon and evening will be free time. 

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Today, we pilgrimage to Cuautitlan to visit the Santuario El Cerrito, St. Juan Diego’s birthplace, and to the Church of the Fifth Apparition  - Santa Maria Tulpetlac. 

Although Santa Maria Tulpetlac is a very simple building, it is considered to be one of the holiest churches in Mexico City. The Church was constructed over the ruins of the home of Juan Bernardino, St. Juan Diego's uncle who was miraculously cured of an illness, and is commonly known as the Church of the Fifth Apparition. There is a plaque in the sacristy that states that Pope Pius XII granted a plenary indulgence to those who visit this church and who meet the normal requirements necessary for a plenary indulgence. Pilgrims can get some water from the well which is beneath the church’s altar and is believed to be the healing spring of Juan Diego.  St. John Paul II designated this church as the World Center of Healing.

We continue on to Tlaltelolco, where Juan Diego was baptized and received his catechetical instructions. He was heading here on that momentous Saturday morning of December 9, 1531, when he would encounter Our Lady of Guadalupe for the first time.  

Located at the ancient marketplace that fed Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztecs, this site is home to the first school of higher learning built in the Americas. Initially the primary site of evangelization from 1526 (two years after the Franciscan friars arrived), the friars learned and practiced the local lingua franca, Nahuátl at this location. Over time, it developed into the primary educational site for the entire region. It is where St. Juan Diego was traveling to receive the Sacraments when he encountered Our Lady of Guadalupe and all the important Guadalupe documents were created at this location, as well as the Cantares Mexicanos – the collection of Nahuátl songs/poems recorded in the 16th century. 

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Our day begins with a pilgrimage to the beautiful city of Puebla, where we will visit the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, home to the incorrupt body of Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio. Next, we’ll explore the stunning Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel in Santo Domingo Church, one of Mexico’s most exquisite baroque chapels, and browse the local Parian market, famous for its vibrant glazed pottery. We will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral de Puebla, a magnificent baroque-style cathedral located in the heart of the city. Lunch will be enjoyed nearby in the city center.

Our final stop will be Huejotzingo, a town 70 miles east of Mexico City, which was both a corridor and seat of different cultures; it is believed that human groups have inhabited this place for more than 1,500 years. The Franciscans founded the Monastery of San Miguel Arcángel in 1525, in an area outside of the pre-Hispanic settlement of Huejotzingo.  Its early founding makes it one of the oldest monasteries in the Americas, and one of the first four Franciscan monasteries established in New Spain.  Here, Joseph & Monique talk about the aspects of Aztec culture like the Poets Conference and Nahua Philosophy.

Breakfast and Lunch Included.

Our entire day will be spent at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and its environs, where we will attend Mass and learn more about this very special place. The 18th-century Antigua Basílica is now the Museo de la Basilica de Guadalupe, which houses a fine collection of colonial art interpreting the miraculous vision; the Capilla del Cerrito (Hill Chapel), where Juan Diego had his vision; the Parque de la Ofrenda, with gardens and waterfalls around a sculpted scene of the apparition; the Templo del Pocito, a circular structure to commemorate the miraculous appearance of a spring where the Virgen de Guadalupe stood; and the 17th-century Antigua Parroquia de Indios (Parish of Indians).

Around 1700, to accommodate the faithful flock, the four-towered Basílica de Guadalupe was erected at the site of an earlier shrine. But by the 1970s, the old yellow-domed building (now called the Antigua Basílica) proved inadequate to the task, so the new blue-roofed Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was built next door. Designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, it is a vast, round, open-plan structure with a capacity of more than 40,000 people. The image of the Virgin, dressed in a green mantle trimmed with gold, hangs above and behind the main altar of the basílica, where moving walkways bring visitors as close as possible. Mass is celebrated hourly.

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Today, we visit the Church of the Holy Family which contains the shrine of Blessed Miguel Pro.  

Blessed Miguel was a Jesuit priest, executed for exercising his priestly duties during the persecution of the Catholic Church under President Elias Calles in the 1920s. Beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1988, Fr. Miguel was an inspirational figure as Mexico rebuilt its Catholic institutions following President Calles's reign.

We continue south to Coyoacan to visit the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, one of the oldest churches in all of Mexico City. The colorful Xochimilco canals are our next stop, where we will enjoy a ride in a trajinera boat – a local Mexican tradition. This area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its stunning natural and cultural beauty. Our final dinner will be a Mexican feast! 

Breakfast and Dinner Included.

Depart from Mexico City for home. 

Until we meet again, adios to our fellow pilgrims.

Breakfast included.