• Itinerary for Dia de los Muertos 2014 •
A general look at how the week will unfold; details to be fine-tuned in October.
“The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and then take great pleasure in doing just that.” ~ Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
Day 1: Oct. 29, Wednesday
• Arrive in Oaxaca; transport to Casa Murguia; we settle in
• Dinner at villa
Day 2: Oct. 30, Thursday
• Yoga, breakfast
• Orientation in Oaxaca city, exchange money to pesos, visit mercados, shop in craft stores, museums, churches
• Take the bus tour around town
• Lunch in Zocalo
• Dinner at villa
Day 3: Oct. 31, Friday
• Yoga, breakfast
• Full day tour with Linda Hannah, a folk arts specialist and collector of Mexican contemporary art; visit artists
in their villages, homes, and lunch at Linda's with opportunity to view her private collections
• Dinner out in town
Day 4: Nov. 1, Saturday
• Yoga, breakfast
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. cooking class with Reyna in her open-air kitchen after shopping with her in the markets for
ingredients, eating lunch there
• 3-4 p.m. visit beeswax candle makers who prepare highly ornate candles for Day of the Dead
• 4-6 p.m. wool carpet demo and chance to purchase carpets?
• Dinner at villa
Day 5: Nov. 2, Sunday
• Yoga, breakfast
• Morning tour with guide at Monte Alban, pre-Columbian archeological pyramids which look out over Oaxaca
• Lunch at villa
• Afternoon - time to visit galleries, studios, meander the zocalo, botanical gardens, photograph, paint, read,
rest...sequential painting workshop offered at villa from 4-6 p.m. (for non-painters like me too!)
• Dinner at villa; evening visit to the Pantheon (cemetery)
Day 6: Nov. 3, Monday
• Yoga, breakfast
• Optional morning hike in ruins of Yagul, lunch on the road
• Afternoon Day of the Dead tour visiting traditional Zapotec village homes in Teotitlan; spirits depart at 4 p.m.
• Ceremonies conclude with a cemetery visit at dusk
• Dinner out - Option: Dinner and Guelaguetza performance at Camino Real (former convent built 1576, see below)
Day 7: Nov. 4, Tuesday
• Yoga, breakfast
• Open day...last chance to shop!
• More Day of the Dead activities in Oaxaca City
• Special farewell dinner out
Day 8: Nov. 5, Wednesday
• Yoga(?), breakfast
• Depart from Oaxaca back home
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AND ARE ADDED COST:
➊ Horseback riding at Rancho Pitaya, ½ hour drive away - http://www.horsebackmexico.com/one-day-horseback-rides/half-day-valley-and-foothills-ride
➋ Botanical Gardens (three blocks from Villa); most museums are free or ask a small fee - http://www.gardendesign.com/travel/oaxacas-ethnobotanical-garden
➌ Contemporary Art Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/contemporary_art_museum.php
➍ Photography Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/photography_center.php
➎ Oaxaca Painters Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/oaxacan_painters_museum.ph
➏ Graphic Arts Institute - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/graphic_arts_institute.php
➐ Traditional temascal/cleansing with Doña Queta in Tule (½ day), ask for price
➑ Massage...chocolate massage, highly recommended! 1 hour = $90 US
➒ Various concerts, mariachi band music, salsa dancing, performances (to be updated in October) - for example, Guelaguetza Traditional Dances: A magnificent selection from the seven regions of Oaxaca. Held in the beautiful 16th century chapel at Camino Real, offering a sumptuous Oaxacan buffet, 20 regional dancers in glorious costumes, and a 14-piece village brass band, providing high-spirited entertainment. An exhilarating evening of rich folkloric tradition in a majestic setting!
➊ Horseback riding at Rancho Pitaya, ½ hour drive away - http://www.horsebackmexico.com/one-day-horseback-rides/half-day-valley-and-foothills-ride
➋ Botanical Gardens (three blocks from Villa); most museums are free or ask a small fee - http://www.gardendesign.com/travel/oaxacas-ethnobotanical-garden
➌ Contemporary Art Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/contemporary_art_museum.php
➍ Photography Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/photography_center.php
➎ Oaxaca Painters Museum - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/oaxacan_painters_museum.ph
➏ Graphic Arts Institute - http://www.academictoursoaxaca.com/oaxaca/graphic_arts_institute.php
➐ Traditional temascal/cleansing with Doña Queta in Tule (½ day), ask for price
➑ Massage...chocolate massage, highly recommended! 1 hour = $90 US
➒ Various concerts, mariachi band music, salsa dancing, performances (to be updated in October) - for example, Guelaguetza Traditional Dances: A magnificent selection from the seven regions of Oaxaca. Held in the beautiful 16th century chapel at Camino Real, offering a sumptuous Oaxacan buffet, 20 regional dancers in glorious costumes, and a 14-piece village brass band, providing high-spirited entertainment. An exhilarating evening of rich folkloric tradition in a majestic setting!
