Posts tagged Colonial Architecture
Cultural Tours In and Around Mexico City
Nov 7th
There are various cultural tours offered in and around Mexico City that give visitors the exciting opportunity of immersing themselves into Mexico’s rich history and culture. Going on these tours not only allows you to explore beautiful sights and sceneries, it will also be a thoroughly educational experience that will open your eyes to the different aspects of Mexico.
As derived from a brief survey of all the cultural tours offered by local companies, there are several key places within and around Mexico City that serve as the highlights of many of these cultural tours. Within Mexico City, two such places would be the Coyoacan district and San Angel. The former is known for its colonial past, and its rich architecture is testament to this past. Several famous attractions within the Coyoacan district include the Frida Kahlo House, which showcase some of the famous artist’s works, as well as the Leon Trotsky Museum, in honour of the famous would-be leader of the Soviet Union. San Angel, meanwhile, is also known for its intricate, traditionally Mexican architecture. Here, you can find numerous markets and galleries featuring beautiful pieces of Mexican art.
The Basilica de Guadalupe is a famous attraction within Mexica City. It is famous for the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is a charming church with an architecture that will please and inspire you. San Miguel de Allende is another important historical and cultural centre in Mexico. It was established in 1542 and plays an important role on Mexico’s past. Its colonial architecture and charming local markets make it a quaint and attractive place to visit.
The Teotihuacan Pyramids is also a popular tourist attraction often included in cultural tours. These are ancient Aztec pyramids whose grandeur and history will take your breath away. The archeological site of Xochicalco is also featured in many tours. It is not only an archeological site; it also used to be an important ancient town. The world-famous Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is another frequently-visited location. Here, you have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view ancient Mayan temples in all their restored glory. Definitely, most of the cultural tours in and around Mexico City will appeal to aspiring archeologists, historians and anthropologists.
Other cultural tours allow visitors to hop onto a train and have it bring you from one cultural highlight to another. These trips are range from four days to a week and provide you with a different option when deciding how to explore Mexico. It will also allow you to visit more far-off places such as Creel, the trade centre of the local Indian tribes, as well as Mexico’s famous copper canyon.
Journey To The Past In Historic Oaxaca, Mexico!
Nov 2nd
Travelers who visit Mexico will find it a truly remarkable country with stunning natural resources, diverse tourist attractions, and a rich and storied history. Mexico’s beaches are internationally renowned for their hot sun and striking sights; ancient cities stand silent, eerily quiet testimonies to the cultures of once-powerful peoples gone by, including the Maya, Azteca, and Olmeca. In Mexico, one gets a tastes of verdant forests, majestic mountains, and parched deserts all in one fell swoop; in Mexico, one sways to the rhythm of life, albeit beating ever-so-slightly to the beat of a different drum.
One visiting Mexico should never leave it, though, without visiting at least one ancient Mexican city, and in Mexico, there are regions with several ancient cities. A tourist favorite (and with good reason!) is Oaxaca, the fifth-largest state in Mexico, located in the south-east portion of Mexico, renowned for the beauty and harmony of its ancient and modern architecture, the variety and flavors of its regional cuisine, the richness and diversity of its cultural traditions, and its soft, spring-like temperate climate.
Oaxaca, which takes its name from the Nahuatl word Huayacac, meaning ‘top of the acacias,’ features peaks reaching almost 10,000 feet high, mysterious caverns among the deepest in the world, virgin beaches, and hidden jungles. A fairly big city with over half a million inhabitants, Oaxaca is nevertheless laid-back, unpretentious, relaxed, and friendly, characteristics exhibited in many of the hotels in Oaxaca.
Oaxaca’s inner city boasts of several buildings that speak of baroque colonial architecture from the 16th century. Mexico’s most splendid churches, some of its finest museums, and dozens of well preserved municipal and religious buildings and Oaxaca hotels from the colonial era are all found in Oaxaca.
Most interesting about Oaxaca are its archeological sites. The area around Oaxaca is rich with these ancient sites, of which about 800 have been surveyed. The area’s main attractions are the majestic Mexican archaeological sites of Monte Alban, Mitla, and Yagul. Each lies within a 25 mile radius of Oaxaca City.
Lodging and dining in Oaxaca are extremely affordable, and whatever Oaxaca lacks in resort swankiness, it more than makes up for with its quaint inns and comfortable Oaxacan hotels. Native cuisine is outstanding, and the region is home to mezcal, a fiery native liquor similar to tequila.
Before even visiting Oaxaca, make sure you have a ready home away from home waiting for you. Most Oaxaca hotels are like the city in which it is found: rich and full of history.
The Hostal de la Noria Hotel in Oaxaca is one of the most sought-after hotels in Oaxaca. Located at the historical center of Oaxaca City, the Hostal de la Noria Hotel in Oaxaca was a beautiful colonial mansion before its transformation into a grand Oaxaca hotel, and even today, this hotel in Oaxaca has a unique provincial atmosphere with its Mexican décor and distinct, personalized service. Even more conveniently for tourists seeking a hotel in Oaxaca, the Hostal de la Noria Hotel in Oaxaca has optimized its website to give Guests guaranteed reservations directly from the website at the best rates on the Internet, ensuring the lowest rates possible. Visiting rustic Oaxaca is like going on a journey to the quaint yet not-so-distant past. Take a trip back to a simpler time, a magical and mystical time, and rediscover that wonder in Oaxaca today!
