Thank you for reading our newsletter of Aztec Explorers for Semana Santa 2023!
We prepared 8 great experiences in Mexico City during Semana Santa 2023.
Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the week before Easter. For many in Mexico it’s a vacation, a time to travel, to hit the beach. Which means that especially Mexico City is less crowded than normal (at least some parts, the earlier the better!). Plus its a great time to learn and live some of its unique traditions. Normally we have a mix of both foreigners and Mexicans on our trips, so a great way to make local and international friends!
Our calendar for Semana Santa in Mexico City 2023; prices in pesos:
Below the details of each trip.
FLOR MÁS BELLA DEL EJIDO IN XOCHIMILCO
If you want to experience one of the most beautiful and oldest traditions of Mexico City, be sure to visit the event ¨La Flor más bella del Ejido¨ (the most beautiful flower of the communal lands) in Xochimilco on Friday of Sorrows; this year on Friday the 31st of March 2023.
EXPLORING VILLA DE GUADALUPE
Villa de Guadalupe is one of the 21 Barrios Mágicos of Mexico City.
Here we can explore 27 unique places in and around the Basílica de Guadalupe. Note: it is not necessary to be religious to enjoy this neighborhood, since there are many green areas, amazing views, beautiful buildings and with an interesting history.
Trip info:
From 09.30 to 12.30, April 1, 5 and 12. Price 350 pesos (guided walking tour of 3 hours by certified guide) or 650 pesos with private transport for our small group. Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera
HIDDEN JEWELS OF THE MEXICO CITY CENTER DURING ´DOMINGO DE RAMOS / PALM SUNDAY´
On this walking tour, we take you off the beaten track, and show you some of the hidden jewels of the Mexico City Center, and our certified guide will explain the history and give information about each place; such as Congreso de la Ciudad, Plaza Santa Domingo, Edificio de la Antigua Aduana, the church and square of Santa Catarina, the Museum of Light, the Abelardo L. Rodriguez market with incredible murals of students of Diego Rivera, the church and square of Loreto, the church of La Santisima, the monastery of Jesus de Maria, the Museum de la Ciudad and the church and hospital of Jesus Nazareno. Plus we show you the most authentic place to taste and buy coffee in Mexico City. Note: we will NOT enter the museums and places where whe have to pay entrances, you can visit them optionally after the walking tour.
Trip info:
From 10.00 to 12.30, April 2. Price 250 pesos (guided walking tour of 2.5 hours by certified guide). Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera. Also possible as private trip.
7 CHURCHES VISIT – MEXICO CITY CENTER
An amazing Holy Week tradition in Mexico City, is visiting Seven Churches on Holy Thursday. The tradition is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven major basilicas as penance. On this guided walking tour, we will explain more about this great tradition and we will visit 7 lesser known churches and temples in the historic city center.
Trip info:
From 10.00 to 13.00, Thursday April 6. Price 250 pesos (guided walking tour of 3 hours by certified guide). Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera.
7 CHURCHES VISIT – BARRIO MÁGICO DE IZTACALCO
An amazing Holy Week tradition in Mexico City, is visiting Seven Churches on Holy Thursday. The tradition is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven major basilicas as penance. On this guided walking tour, we will explain more about this great tradition and we will visit 7 lesser known convents, churches and temples in the Iztacalco, one of the most traditional of the 21 Barrios Magicos of Mexico city. We start at 17.00, so its a great time to explore this intriguing neighborhood during this unique event, during day time and night time.
Trip info:
From 17.00 to 20.00, Thursday April 6. Price 250 pesos (guided walking tour of 3 hours by certified guide). Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera.
PASSION OF CHRIST IN IZTAPALAPA
The Passion Play of Iztapalapa is an annual event during Holy Week in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City. It one of the oldest and most elaborate passion plays in Mexico as well as the best known, covered by media both in Mexico and abroad. Over time, the procession included a passion play which grew to include various scenes related to Holy Week. Today, the play includes not only hundreds of actors but also thousands of men called “Nazarenes” who carry their own crosses to follow the actor chosen to play Jesus to the site where the crucifixion is reenacted. While the event is still primarily religious, it has also become a rite of identity for Iztapalapa (only residents of certain communities may participate) as well as a major tourism attraction for both the borough and the city.
Note: expect crowds since this is a very popular event, we will provide safety trips before and during the event. Our guide is born and raised in Mexico City for the best and safest experience.
Trip info:
From 10.30 to 16.00, Friday 7th of April. Price 350 pesos (guided walking tour of 5,5 hours by certified guide) or 650 pesos with private transport for our small group. Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera
BARRIO MÁGICO SAN ANGEL AND ALTAR DE DOLORES
In the Museo del Carmen, within one of the most beautiful areas of Mexico City, San Ángel, year after year the beautiful tradition of Altar of Dolores is preserved; an impressive representation that combines the symbolism of the icons, mysticism, religiosity and the history; not only of this peculiar place but of the vision and philosophy of Mexicans around the passion and death of Christ. All this, through the eyes of the Virgen de los Dolores, to whom these offerings are dedicated, as a unique gesture of compensation for the mother who has seen her son die.
We will also explore the rest of San Angel, one of the 21 Barrios Mágicos of Mexico City. San Angel is located 12km (7.4 miles) southwest of the historic center, was once a retreat for wealthy city residents. Cobblestone streets, plazas, gardens and elegant estates are reminiscent of the neighborhood’s rich colonial past. San Angel is home to monuments, historic residences, a former Dominican monastery, a cultural center housed in what was once a municipal palace and several interesting museums. Among them are the Risco House Museum (Plaza San Jacinto 15) with its impressive 18th century talavera tile fountain. The El Carmen complex is the identifying marker of San Ángel, especially the three tiled-covered domes of the church. It consists of church, former monastery and school buildings. The monastery school or “Colegio” was founded in 1613. There are several colorful markets, art galleries and shops scattered throughout the neighborhood and a good selection of restaurants, bars and cafes, many with inviting open-air terraces.
Trip info:
From 9.30 to 12.30, April 9 and 13. Price 350 pesos (guided walking tour of 3 hours by certified guide) or 650 pesos with private transport for our small group. Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera
EASTER TUESDAY IN BARRIO MAGICO DE IZTACALCO (PASCUA DE AMAPOLAS)
Iztacalco celebrates the resurrection of Christ with the traditional Tuesday of the Poppies. On a hot Easter Tuesday in 1771, the first Franciscans arrived in Iztacalco, a town dedicated to the cultivation of flowers such as carnations, lilies, roses and poppies. In this place the parish of San Matías Iztacalco was established and the church and convent of San Matías were built to begin the evangelization of the indigenous people who received the friars with chia water to quench their thirst. Throwing poppy petals (a flower that grew in abundance in this area) is part of celebrating the victory of Christ over death, hence the name of Poppies Tuesday. Here you can find impressive and colorful doorways with flowers, a legacy of the agricultural past of this town in Mexico City
We will also explore the rest of Iztacalco, one of the 21 Barrios Mágicos of Mexico City. It is one of the oldest and traditional neighborhoods in Mexico City. Older then México Tenochtitlan, with it’s interesting history and colonial buildings. It is located in the center-east of the district and is the smallest of the city’s boroughs. The area’s history began in 1309 when the island of Iztacalco, in what was Lake Texcoco, was settled in 1309 by the Mexica who would later found Tenochtitlan, according to the Codex Xolotl. The island community would remain small and isolated through the colonial period, but drainage projects in the Valley of Mexico dried up the lake around it.
Trip info:
From 15.00 to 17.00, Tuesday, April 11. Price 250 pesos (guided walking tour of 2 hours by certified guide) or 650 pesos with private transport for our small group. Make your reservation on Whatsapp, Lidia Herrera
CALENDAR Semana Santa in Mexico City 2023
Our calendar, prices in pesos. Small groups, certified bilingual guides, include entrance if applies:
All details of all trip also soon on Meetup.
Our Newsletter for April 2023.
Mexico City, the perfect base (blog).
CONTACT INFORMATION
Reservations and payment information on Whatsapp: 525513083732 , Lidia Herrera.
All trips and more can also be organized as private trip.
Aztec Explorers organizes every week day trips and longer trips to the most beautiful places in and around Mexico City. To both highlights as off the beaten track places. Here can find their latest calendars, newsletters and contact information. They can also help you with private walking tours and private trips.
Azteca Travel Tours Art can help you additionally with beach packages, circuit tours to all the 32 Mexican States and other national and international travels.
