CANCUN/VALLADOLID/UXMAL/MERIDA

The New Year 2017 will be here soon. No better way to celebrate your passion for international travel than to take on an exotic trip to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and see the ancient Mayan temples. This will be our second revisit if you missed the first one. Our group will enjoy an incredible 7-day event to learn about the Mayan culture with visits to the sites at Ek Balam, Izamal, Labna, Uxmal, Dzbilchaltun, and Mayapan along the famous Puuc Trail. Our host cities of Cancun, Valladolid, and Merida will offer cultural delights with archeological museums, cuisines, folklorico dancing, and a private home visit to see the incredible folk art collection. This private tour will have our own archeologist host as interpreter. $2410 from Los Angeles. ​ Call for other cities 630 972-9090. Day by Day Itinerary: ​ Day 01. - (Feb 21, 2017) US - Mexico. Depart Santa Ana 8:40 am (UA #045) and arrive Cancun, Mexico at 7:05 pm to be welcomed by your expert guide, Ricardo Vasquez and conducted to your beachside hotel, the Holiday Inn Arenas. Then you will enjoy a dinner at a downtown restaurant. (D) ​ Day 02. - (Feb 22, 2017) Cancun -Valladolid Today after a nice breakfast at the hotel, be ready at the lobby with your luggage, our first stop will be at the Archaeological Maya Museum, after our visit, we will continue to Ek-Balam; emerging as one of the most exciting classic sites in the Yucatan Peninsula-and it is just a stone's-throw from the Maya Genesis. Older, and once more powerful than Chichén Itza, Ek Balam was the political and spiritual heart of northern Yucatan. Its acropolis is among the largest pre-Hispanic buildings in Mesoamerica, laced with stairways, hidden passages, rooms, and temples. Upon arrival in Valladolid we will leave our bags at the lovely colonial El Meson and visit an American's private collection of folk art at the Casa de los Venados. Dinner (on your own), Yucatecan trova singers will delight you during dinner. (B) Day 03. - (Feb 23, 2017) Valladolid - Uxmal Today, after a nice breakfast by the hotel's courtyard, we will continue our journey to the Puuc Region; we will visit Mayapan; this important archaeological site was the political and cultural capital of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula during the Late Post-Classic period from the 1220s until the 1440s. Estimates of the total city population are 15,000-17,000 persons, and the site has more than 4000 structures within the city walls, and additional dwellings outside. a special Mayan/Yucatecan lunch including the removal from the ground of the baked pig with a ritual, after this authentic lunch we will continue to our hotel, after check in, after dinner we will attend the Sound & Light Show in Uxmal. (B) ​ Day 04. - (Feb 24, 2017) Mayan Puuc Region - Merida Breakfast at the hotel; our first visit will be Uxmal, the main ruins of Uxmal that cover about 150 acres, with residential districts spreading further beyond that. Uxmal occupies a grassy savannah surrounded by forest and its buildings were adapted to the varied elevations of the hilly landscape. Unlike most Yucatan sites, Uxmal derived it's not as much from cenotes (natural wells) as from man­made cisterns that collected rain water, one of which can be seen near the entrance. The constant concern with the supply of water probably explains the special popularity of the rain god Chac at Puuc sites. The real function of many of the structures remains uncertain, and they retain the fanciful names given them by the Spanish. At 35 m (115 ft.), the massive Magician's Pyramid (Piramide del Adivino) is the tallest structure at Uxmal. The pyramid is also known as the Pyramid of the Dwarf; both names derive from a legend about a magical dwarf who was hatched from an egg, grew to adulthood in a single day, and built this pyramid in one night. Actually, it was begun in the 6th century AD and regularly expanded through the 10th century. We will continue to Labna. Upon entering this site, the first building on the left (El Palacio) has a large rendition of the rain god Chac over the front door. As in other cities in the Puuc region, which has very few rivers or streams, a great reverence to Chac is shown in the numerous representations of this deity. After your guided tour of Labna we will travel to Merida; capital of the Yucatan State. Check into your hotel. (B) Day 05. - (Feb 25, 2017) Merida Breakfast at the hotel; Today we will take a walking tour of the Historical district of Merida, known as the white city; we will visit the, Cathedral, the Art Room at the Governor's Palace, and admire the architecture from the 15th century; after the walking tour we will get on board and stroll down the Paseo de Montejo Blvd, where we will see some of the old mansions build during the Henequen era, (sisal plant), from there we will continue to Dzbilchaltun, the oldest occupied Mayan site, guided tour of the site and then return to the hotel for a short rest and dinner before we attend a folkloric show right in front of the City Hall, special seating will be reserved for you. (B) Day 06. - (Feb 26, 2017) Merida - Cancun Right after breakfast, we will travel to Izamal; Known as the "City of three cultures", Izamal bring together elements of the pre-Hispanic, colonial and contemporary eras. Numerous pre-Hispanic constructions, some currently under restoration, are located within the city, providing a beautiful contrast next to the remains of Colonial Era. Near is great pre-Hispanic construction were built in honor of the god Itzamma, wise and beneficent deity of the ancient Mayas, is the famous Convent dedicated to the Virgin of Izamal, built by Franciscan monks the first years of Spanish rule. In their zeal to evangelize the new continent, the Franciscans expended great effort in building monuments such as temples and convents, today giving a special value to Yucatan. We will have lunch (under your own expense) in a typical local restaurant in this place before we get back on the highway. Arrive to Cancun and check into your hotel. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant (B, D) ​ Day 07. - (Feb 27, 2017) Cancun - USA Depart Cancun Feb 27 at 11:40am via Houston arriving home at 4:17pm (B) ​ Selected Hotels: ​ Cancun: Hotel Holiday Inn Arenas Valladolid: Hotel Meson del Marques Uxmal: Hotel Uxmal Resort Merida: Hotel Boutique (TBD) ​ Transportation: ​ Private Coach with a/c. Panoramic windows and comfortable seats. Bilingual friendly driver ​