Following breakfast at the hotel, we make our way toward the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Holy Mass is celebrated here on this day. We venerate the Tilma, which remains exactly how it was presented to Juan Diego centuries ago. We tour the grounds of Tepeyac Hill, beginning with a charming museum that hosts a collection of paintings and colonial religious art created by pilgrims in gratitude and thanksgiving for miracles granted. We ascend Tepeyac Hill to visit the Capilla del Cerrito, the original chapel on the exact site of the apparitions of Our Lady to Juan Diego in 1531. Walking up the small hills of the Tepeyac Garden, we view its beautiful statues which depict the unity of the Aztec people with the Spanish Christian Mission. A visit to the Chapel of the Indians completes the Tepeyac Hill tour. After lunch on your own nearby, we drive to Chapultepec Park to visit the National Museum of Anthropology which contains the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican indigenous art, including the Sun Stone or Aztec Calendar. By bus, we see a number of historical sites during the driving portion of our tour. 

Dinner and overnight in Mexico City.

After breakfast at the hotel, we visit the historical and impressive archaeological center of Mexico City to celebrate Mass at The Church of Santo Domingo. This beautiful church houses two shrines: Our Lady of the Rosary and Our Lady of Covadonga, the headquarters of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. Following Mass, we drive past the National Palace, continuing to Zocalo Plaza, where we visit the largest and oldest cathedral in all of Latin America, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. It is here where St. Juan Diego’s bishop, the first bishop and archbishop of Mexico, Juan de Zumárraga, is buried. Lunch on your own and we continue our walking tour, passing the Palace of the Archbishop, where St. Juan Diego unfurled his tilma and Castilian roses fell to the ground before the bishop and the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary appeared on his cloak (Miracle of the Roses). Our special day concludes with a visit to the home of Mariachi Music, Garibaldi Square. 

Mariachi Bands, dinner and overnight in Mexico City.

Following an early breakfast and check out at the hotel, we depart by bus to Tlaxcala, the smallest of Mexico's states, for the celebration of Mass at the Shrine of San Miguel del Milagro. This is the site of apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel, as well as the spring of curative waters blessed by St. Michael. We drive to Tlaxcala City to visit the unforgettable Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlan. Also known as the "Place of the Burning Oak," tradition maintains that it is here where the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously caused her image to be burned into a tree. Lunch on your own en route, and we travel on to enjoy what is known as Mexico's most beautiful city, Puebla. Situated at an elevation of 7,000 ft near Mexico's snow-capped peaks, Puebla is well known for its beautiful churches and its hand-painted tiles, or "Talavera." We visit the beautiful Puebla Cathedral, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception prior to a free afternoon for strolling and shopping the many quaint shops in this charming city. 

Check-in, leisure & overnight in Puebla.

Breakfast and check-out prior to a walking tour of Puebla. 

We first visit the Convent Church of Santo Domingo. Attached to it is the Chapel of the Rosary, a stellar example of New Spanish Baroque, which in its time was considered to be the "8th Wonder of the World". We visit "La Calle de los Dulces" (Candy Street), a charming street with over 40 stores/shops which carry delicious treats whose recipes date back to the 18th century!

We travel a short way to Cholula, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. Here, we visit the Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de los Remedios (The Virgin of the Remedies) built on top of the pyramid. Lunch on your own followed by a visit to the Church of Santa María Tonantzintla, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. An iconic example of Mexican Baroque architecture, the church is renowned for its ornate depictions of birds, flowers and fruits that recall indigenous primitive Mexican life. It is considered to be one of the most unique churches in the Christian world.

Return to Mexico City for re-check in, dinner & overnight in Mexico City.

Following breakfast at the hotel, we travel to the Square of the Three Cultures in Tlateloloco, where Mass is celebrated at St. James Church. This is the historic site of St. Juan Diego’s baptism. We travel to Tulpetlac to visit the Shrine of the fifth apparition, where Juan Diego’s uncle, San Bernardino, experienced his own apparition of Our Lady. Behind the altar is a tiny chapel that houses the original spring from San Bernardino’s home. Lunch on your own en route as we continue to Teotihuacan to visit the incredible ruins of the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon. 

 A special Farewell Dinner, “Fiesta Mexicana"  & overnight in Mexico City.

Breakfast at the hotel before check-out. Time permitting, we make a final visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and neighboring shops. We bid farewell to this deeply historic city where Our Lady appeared to unite her children, the Aztec and the Spanish people, and where millions were converted to the truth of the Incarnation. We travel to the airport and although our pilgrimage ends, its blessings and our memories will last a lifetime. May our pilgrimage serve to draw us even closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of His Mother and ours, the Blessed Virgin Mary (“La Morenita”).