A Pilgrimage to Mexico

¡Bienvenidos a México! Upon arrival at Mexico City International Airport we meet our Catholic English-speaking guide and board our private motorcoach for the transfer to our four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma. After check-in and time to freshen up, we gather for our first Holy Mass together at a nearby church, followed by a welcome dinner. Mexico City sits at 7,350 feet of elevation, so we take the evening easy and entrust this pilgrimage to Our Lord and Our Lady in prayer before turning in. Overnight: Four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City.

Today we visit the most sacred site in all of the Americas: the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In December 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared to the humble indigenous convert Saint Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, leaving her miraculous image imprinted on his tilma — an image that remains unexplained by science and has inspired the conversion of millions. We celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica, venerate the sacred tilma, climb the hill of Tepeyac to the Chapel of the Roses, and visit the old basilica. Each pilgrim will receive a rose in honor of Our Lady.

After free time for lunch, we travel to the ancient city of Teotihuacán, one of the largest cities of the ancient world. We climb the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and walk the Avenue of the Dead, marveling at the scale of a civilization that flourished more than a thousand years before the Spanish arrived. We return to Mexico City for a group dinner together. Overnight: Four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City.

Following breakfast we check out and depart for the State of Puebla. Our first stop is Cholula, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Americas. Here we visit two of the most extraordinary churches in Mexico: Santa María Tonantzintla, whose interior erupts with indigenous angels, flowers, and fruit in a riot of gilded Baroque, and San Francisco Acatepec, covered entirely in Talavera tile. We then climb to Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, the yellow-domed church built directly atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula — at its base, the largest pyramid by volume in the world. Here we celebrate Holy Mass, pray a rosary together, and take in the views of the Popocatépetl volcano.

After free time for lunch in Cholula, we continue a short distance to Puebla, founded in 1531 and known as the “City of Angels.” We check in to our hotel in the historic center and gather for a group dinner together. Overnight: Four-star hotel in the historic center, Puebla.

Today we dedicate a full day to Puebla, home to some of the finest colonial Catholic architecture in all of Mexico. We begin at the Puebla Cathedral, one of the grandest in the Americas, whose soaring twin towers and magnificent altar of the kings rank among the most important expressions of the Catholic faith in the New World. We then proceed to the Church of Santo Domingo to behold the legendary Capilla del Rosario — the Chapel of the Rosary — which has been called “the eighth wonder of the world” for its breathtaking gilded Baroque interior. Here we celebrate Holy Mass.

After free time for lunch in Puebla’s beautiful Zócalo — a fantastic opportunity to sample mole poblano, the city’s signature dish — we visit the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the first public library in the Americas, founded in 1646, with over 45,000 volumes behind stunning carved cedar shelves. We then walk to the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, where we venerate the incorrupt body of Blessed Sebastián de Aparicio, a Spanish-born lay Franciscan whose intercession has been credited with countless miracles. The evening is free to explore Puebla’s celebrated dining scene in the historic center before returning to our hotel. Overnight: Four-star hotel in the historic center, Puebla.

Following breakfast we check out and drive a short distance to the State of Tlaxcala for a morning visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Ocotlán, one of Mexico’s most important Marian apparition shrines. In 1541, Our Lady appeared to a humble indigenous convert named Juan Diego Bernardino, leading him to a burning ocote tree in which her image was perfectly preserved. The image is still venerated above the main altar, and pilgrims continue to draw healing water from the well on the grounds. Here we celebrate Holy Mass and take time for personal prayer before the sacred image.

After free time for lunch in Tlaxcala’s beautiful historic center, we depart for Mexico City, arriving in the late afternoon. We check in to our hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, freshen up, and gather for a group dinner together. Overnight: Four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City.

Today we walk in the footsteps of one of the most beloved martyrs of the twentieth century: Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J. Father Pro was a Jesuit priest who ministered secretly to the faithful of Mexico City during the worst years of the Cristero persecution, celebrating clandestine Masses, hearing confessions in disguise, and distributing Communion at great personal risk. He was arrested on false charges in November 1927 and executed by firing squad without trial. The famous photographs of his execution — arms outstretched in the form of a cross, crying “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” — became icons of the resistance. We visit the church where Father Pro’s remains are venerated and the site of his execution, celebrating Holy Mass in his memory.

After free time for lunch, we visit the famous floating gardens of Xochimilco, a pre-Hispanic system of canals and man-made islands that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we enjoy a ride on a colorful trajinera boat along the canals. We then explore the charming colonial neighborhood of Coyoacán, known for its beautiful plazas, the Church of St. John the Baptist, and its legendary ice cream. We return to our hotel for a group dinner. Overnight: Four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City.

Today we dedicate the full day to the Centro Histórico of Mexico City, centered on the vast Zócalo — one of the largest public squares in the world. We begin with Sunday Holy Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas, built atop the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor. We tour the cathedral and then explore the Templo Mayor archaeological site, where the foundations of the Aztec ceremonial center still emerge from beneath the colonial city.

After free time for lunch, we enjoy a guided walking and coaching tour of Mexico City’s most iconic districts: the stately Paseo de la Reforma, the Monument to the Revolution, the green expanse of Chapultepec Park with its castle and museums, and the leafy elegance of the Polanco and San Ángel districts. We conclude with a visit to the parish of La Sagrada Familia before returning to our hotel for a farewell dinner together. Overnight: Four-star hotel near the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City.

On our final morning we enjoy breakfast at the hotel, gather for a closing prayer together, and transfer to Mexico City International Airport for our return flights home. ¡Buen viaje, y que Dios los bendiga!