Small Group Guided Tour at Teotihuacá and Basilica Mexico City

Mexico City, a welcoming, vibrant city steeped in millennia of civilization. In the morning, we will walk along the famous Paseo de la Reforma to admire the formal architecture and monumental statues commemorating the history of Mexico and the Americas. Afterwards, we will proceed to Teotihuacán, known as the "place where the gods made man", to climb the Pirámide del Sol and look out over the Path of the Dead and the Pirámide de la Luna, with a view of the entire spectacular ruins area. Afternoon, we will go to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, then stop by the Palace of Fine Arts to take pictures, and finally we will go to the Plaza de la Constitución, the plaza is like the heart of Mexico, leading Mexico to beat. Not far from the square are the ruins of the majestic Templo Mayor and the construction of the Catedral Metropolitana. The plaza is also surrounded by historic Spanish colonial buildings. This reflects the busy life of the city.

Itinerary:

Paseo de la Reforma → Monumento a la Independencia (photo stop) → Piramide de la Serpiente Emplumada (120 min) → Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (60 min) → Palacio de Bellas Artes (exterior, 20 min) → Plaza de la Constitución (2 hrs., incl. visit to Cathedral of the Bishop, exterior of the National Palace, exterior of the ruins of the Great Temple, etc.)

Paseo de la Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma is a 12-kilometer-long avenue in Mexico City. Built by King Maximilian I and named Avenida Regina in honor of his consort, Queen Carlota, upon its inauguration, it now bears the name in commemoration of the liberalizing reforms of 19th-century Mexican President Benito Juárez. It is modeled after European boulevards, such as Vienna's Ringstrasse and Paris's Champs-Élysées. Along the Paseo de la Reforma are numerous monuments honoring figures and events in Mexican and American history, including Cuauhtémoc, Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, and Christopher Columbus, as well as a fountain commemorating the nationalization of Mexican oil. The most notable of these is the Angel of Independence Monument.

Monumento a la Independencia (photo stop)

Teotihuacán
Teotihuacan, located approximately 50 kilometers from Mexico City, is a remnant of an ancient civilization. Also known as the City of the Gods, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Two pyramids stand side by side, separated by a 2-kilometer-long avenue known as the Way of the Dead. The north-south, 2-kilometer-long Avenue of the Dead is the heart of this ancient city. The most striking features of the avenue are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, flanking them. The Pyramid of the Sun, located to the east, is the third largest pyramid in the world and is surrounded by numerous altars used for sacrifice. The Pyramid of the Moon, located at the northern end of the Avenue of the Dead, is flanked by the Plaza de la Luna, a complex of 12 temples and altars. Climb the massive Pyramid of the Sun and gaze out over the Way of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Moon, offering breathtaking views of the entire ruins.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A cult developed around this site after a Christian convert named Juan Diego claimed in December 1531 that the Virgin Mary appeared before him on the Cerro del Tepeyac (Tepeyac Hill). After numerous sightings, so the story goes, the lady’s image was miraculously emblazoned on Diego's cloak, causing a bishop to believe the story and build a shrine in her honor. To this day the basílica remains a place of pilgrimage and worship.

Palace of Fine Arts
Construction on the iconic building began in 1905 under Italian architect Adamo Boari, who favored neoclassical and art nouveau styles. Complications arose as the heavy marble shell sank into the spongy subsoil, and then the Mexican Revolution intervened. Architect Federico Mariscal eventually finished the interior in the 1930s, utilizing the more modern art deco style. With art nouveau on the outside and art deco on the inside, the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is considered one of the most spectacular buildings from this era.

Plaza de la Constitución
The Plaza de la Constitución is to Mexico City what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris and the Colosseum is to Rome. It's a must-see destination in Mexico City and the heart of Mexico. Rebuilt by Spanish colonists after the destruction of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, it has always been bustling, whether in the 16th century (when it was built on the ruins) or in the 18th century (when it became a bustling market), and even today, when it serves as the seat of government, the bustle continues. In front of the square are the remains of the Cathedral and the Templo Mayor, the former center of the square. Upon their arrival, the Spanish destroyed the Templo Mayor and built the Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) on top of it, thus obscuring centuries of civilization and this important pre-Spanish temple. In the late 1970s, cable company workers accidentally uncovered the temple's structure while working, prompting archaeologists to search for its remains.