Mexico Guadalupe Pilgrimage 6 Days

Mexico City and Basilica de Guadalupe

The Shrine at Guadalupe is considered the holiest place in the Western Hemisphere. President John F. Kennedy and French President Charles de Gaulle testified to this during state visits to Mexico. Saint John Paul II preached to millions of the faithful from this holy Shrine during his 1979 visit to Mexico. The Basilica commemorates the Virgin Mary’s appearance to a humble Indian and honors her request that a Shrine be built in Her honor. In December of 1531, Juan Diego informed a skeptical bishop of his encounter with Mary. A few days later, Juan returned to the site of the vision and once again Our Mother appeared. The humble man relayed the bishop’s request for proof of Her visitation, whereupon the Virgin instructed Juan to gather roses from the frozen, rocky terrain and present them to the bishop. Remarkably for the cool season, he found a great number of roses strewn all around. Gathering the roses in sackcloth, he hurriedly took them to the bishop. When he opened the cloak to present the roses to the cleric, it was not Only * the blooms that amazed the bishop. Stamped on the humble cloth was an image of the Virgin! The same miraculous image exists for you to see, hanging in splendor above the main altar.

Day 1: Arrival to Mexico City

Arrival transfer to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Guadalupe Shrine and Mass and city tour.

Breakfast. On to the Plaza of the Three Cultures to see the ancient ruins and the place where Juan Diego was baptized. We will continue to the Guadalupe Shrine. In 1531 the Guadalupe Shrine appeared to Juan Diego several times and the Basilica was built in her honour. Today we will start our day visiting the Sanctuary of the Shrine of Guadalupe. We will visit the new Basilica, the old Basilica and the museum. We will visit El Pocito and on to the beautiful gardens of the place. we will climb the hillto visit the church of el Cerrito dedicated to Juan Diego. Time to pray. Back to the Basilica and Mass. After this visit we will have a short City tour. We will visit the the «Zocalo» (Main Square) and the National Palace in which you will admire the magnificent frescoes of Diego Rivera . These frescoes narrate with images the most important events of our history during three centuries. We will see the ruins of the Aztecs Main Temple, as well as the Cathedral. Back to the hotel. (8 hrs) Dinner incl. ON PRIVATE.

Day 3: Mass at Father Pio Church and Teotihuacan.

Breakfast and you will board your motorcoach to visit the beautiful Church of the Holy Family which houses the martyred remains of a young Jesuit priest named Miguel Pro. Blessed Miguel Pro was martyred on November 23, 1927, and beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988. Mass at the Church of the Holy Family at 09:00 am. Then, we will visit Tulpetlac, the site of the 5th Apparition, where Juan Diego’s uncle was cured. Our full day excursion continues on to Teotihuacan, the country’s true first city. You will view the ancient Pyramids of the Sun and Moon. See the grand Avenue of the Dead and visit Temple of Quetzalcoatl and others. Teotihuacan thrived between 500 B.C. and 700 AD. Through a modern highway we will reach the site of Teotihuacan «Where men become gods». During your tour you will have time and opportunity to climb the amazing Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, as well as to visit other buildings such as the Palace named Quetzal-Papálotl (Quetzal-Butterfly), the Quetzalcóatl (Feather-Snake) Temple, the Avenue of the Dead and The Citadel. (10 hrs.) Lunch incl. ON PRIVATE.

Day 4: Mexico – Puebla

Breakfast. Mass at the Catedral in Mexico City and on to Puebla Puebla – Tonanzintla – San Miguel del Milagro. Drive to Puebla to visit the Cathedral and the Santo Domingo Church where we will celebrate mass at the Capilla del Rosario. Continue to the Shrine and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ocotlan. Here Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego Bernardino in 1541 and left her miracle statue in a burnt tree. Visit to the Church of Tonanzintla and on the way back to Mexico City visit to San Miguel del Milagro. Lunch incl. ON PRIVATE.

Day 5: Cuernavaca and Taxco and Mass.

Breakfast and Mass at San Juan Bautista – Cuernavaca and Taxco and Mass. After an early breakfast, we will depart for a full day excursion to Cuernavaca. Upon arrival we will visit the beautiful Cathedral. The Cathedral began as a Franciscan Monastery, where numerous Franciscans were trained and set out on their arduous journey to evangelize the orient and found new missions in the Philippines and Asia. The most famous of these friars was Philip of Jesus, the first Mexican martyr and saint. Crucified with 26 other religious by the Japanese Emperor Hideyoshi in 1596, Philip is memorialized in Cuernavaca Cathedral by a spectacular cycle of nave murals, uncovered during renovation of the cathedral some years ago. The church also contains many early murals, including a Crucifixion and a unique spiritual genealogy of St. Francis in the cloister. We continue on to Taxco for a city tour. This antique silver-mining center is located in the northern reaches of Guerrero. The city is well known for its traditional silverwork. The city is built on the side of a mountain, with very steep narrow cobblestone streets lined by whitewashed houses with red-tiled roofs. It is also renowned for its more than 200-year-old baroque-style church, the Santa Prisca Cathedral. Back to Mexico. Lunch incl. ON PRIVATE.

Day 6: Transfer out to Mexico City

Breakfast. Transfer out

END OF THE SERVICES

Note: Services are in private with breakfast and lunch or dinner – mass is always in spanish