Semana Santa procession in Guanajuato
Carnival celebrations are in full swing, today is Fat Tuesday and the last day of celebration before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Easter Week, also known as Holy Week or Semana Santa, is just over a month away which means there’s still time to book flights to Mexico to observe the holiday celebrations. Mexico is a predominantly Catholic country and it isn’t surprising that religious traditions play an important role in Mexican culture. Semana Santa is celebrated each year in cities and towns throughout Mexico with dramatic processions and passion plays. Easter Week is the first week of April this year and Good Friday, or Viernes Santo, one of the most important days of the Holy Week celebrations, falls on April 6th. Here are four of the best destinations in central Mexico to celebrate Semana Santa, each with their own unique traditions. Read more
There are lots of great reasons to book cheap flights to Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas. Whether you come to relax in the lovely Spanish-colonial town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, tour small indigenous villages like San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantán, take a dip in the pools at Agua Azul and Misol-Ha or simply to be a part of all the end of the world mania along La Ruta Maya, you won’t be disappointed. Mexico is gearing up to welcome millions of tourists this year, and a return trip to Chiapas is on my travel shortlist. One of the highlights of a visit to the region is getting to explore what are, in my opinion, some of the most spectacular Mayan ruins in all of Mexico.
Toniná
The hillside temple complex of Toniná is located just outside the town of Ocosingo, two hours north of San Cristóbal de las Casas. The drive from Ocosingo out to the site is incredibly scenic, as are the views overlooking the surrounding countryside from atop the ruins. Toniná’s ceremonial core is made up of a series of pyramids, platforms and hidden chambers that tower 80 meters above the Gran Plaza. Called the ‘Place of the Celestial Captives,’ Toniná is believed to have been one of the last surviving cities of classic Maya civilization. Toniná is one of the lesser visited of Mayan ruins in Chiapas, and the last time we were there we had the site nearly all to ourselves. Read more
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and as much as I’d love to book a quick flight out to the coast, something tells me we’ll be spending the holiday a bit closer to home this year. Here are four weekend getaways near Mexico City.
Valle de Bravo
Often called the “Switzerland of Mexico,” the magic town of Valle de Bravo with its forests, mountains and lakefront views is a favorite weekend retreat from the capital. The lakefront resorts offer a variety of spa treatments, yoga, meditation, golf, hiking and watersports. Valle de Bravo is located just minutes from the nearby monarch butterfly sanctuary at Piedra Herrada and serves as a great jumping off point for visiting the reserve; the best time to visit is between November and February. Limited domestic and international flights arrive at the nearby airport in Toluca. Read more
Welcome to the Friday Explorer series on Go Mexico Guide. The series aims to promote tour services throughout Mexico that may be of interest to a wide range of travelers. Today I’m pleased to welcome Mike Vondruska of Discover Veracruz Tours.
Thanks for joining me Mike. Please tell me a little about yourself.
MV: One day when I was around 10 years old, I remember having this thought in the back of my mind to be some kind of cool travel guide who would lead people to great outdoor places to see mountains, animals, and things like that. I am not sure what sparked those thoughts but it quickly got lost among the other exciting occupations I envisioned for my future; such as an oceanographer, bicycle repair guy, pro basketball star, and even forming a band like Herb Alpert did with his Tijuana Brass. Yes, I did indeed learn to play the trumpet, but not as well as Herb.
So as you can see, I was always a dreamer and that eventually morphed me into becoming an entrepreneur. I always liked the idea of traveling and so became a geography major in college.
After graduating, I did create an occupation so I would have the opportunity to travel and see some great places. I became a professional variety entertainer and for the past 30 years plus, have performed thousands of shows (no, not as a trumpet player -sorry Mr. Alpert), but doing a comedy juggling and unicycle show. From festivals in Shanghai to Sheboygan WI, circuses in Des Moines to Chicago, cruise ships in the Caribbean and South America, corporate events in Miami to Detroit, and in over 2000 schools throughout North America, I have traveled and entertained people. In case you are wondering, I never got into the “birthday party circuit.”
So how did you end up in Mexico? What first attracted you to the country and more specifically, the state of Veracruz on Mexico’s Gulf Coast? Why did you decide to start a tourism business there?
MV: Back in the ’90s, a business acquaintance from the Chicago area used to tell me about this magical place in Mexico called Veracruz. He was born there and some of his family still lived there. He must have been a good story teller because he captivated my interest. Finally, one day after listening to yet another story, I said to him to let me know the next time he goes down there and maybe I would go with him. Read more
by Laura on January 3, 2012
in Explore
“One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore.” -Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Looking back on 2011, I realize that I didn’t do nearly as much traveling outside of Mexico City as I would have liked. Aside from short trips to Acapulco, Veracruz, Huamantla, Oaxaca, Tula and the monarch butterfly reserve, most of my exploring took place within city limits. We spent Semana Santa in Iztapalapa and Día de Muertos in Xochimilco, we traveled north to Villa de Guadalupe to celebrate the festival of the Virgen and even further south to the mole festival in San Pedro Atocpan. We also spent a good amount of time exploring the downtown area, yet it still feels as if we’ve barely even begun to scratch the surface on all there is to see in the 16 delegations, or boroughs, and more than 300 colonias, or neighborhoods, that make up Mexico City.
There are still countless places that I’d like to visit in and around Mexico City in 2012, including visiting all of the city’s magic neighborhoods, however I’m also planning to spend several weeks on the road visiting cities and towns throughout central and southern Mexico — not all at once, but a week here and there. Since it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find cheap flights within Mexico, the current plan is that I’ll be doing all of my travel by bus and visiting more than one town or city on each trip.
Here’s how the itinerary for 2012 is shaping up so far. Read more
