Make your way to Tucson Airport (or your local Airport) where you will board your flight(s) to Mexico City. Upon arrival, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrival’s Hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. Transfer to your hotel. Enjoy free time before celebrating Mass (subject to arrival time) and dinner. Overnight in Mexico City.

After breakfast, depart for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patroness of the Americas), by way of the Plaza of the Three Cultures. You will first visit the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco where St. Juan Diego was baptized. This plaza is important as it symbolizes the unique blend of the pre-Hispanic, and Hispanic cultures that make up Mexico. Continue to the Shrine of Guadalupe, built in response to Our Lady’s request to the visionary, St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. Upon arrival at the Shrine, you will celebrate Mass as you marvel at the brilliantly colored Basilica. Following Mass, we visit the various points of interest in the Tepeyac area surrounding the Basilica, each associated with the story of the apparitions of Our Lady. We see the original chapel on the exact site of the apparitions to Juan Diego (Capilla del Cerrito) and the Old Basilica completed in 1709. One special stop is La Capilla del Pocito (Chapel of the Little Well) – a well which opened under the feet of the Virgin. We will join the other pilgrims as you kneel in front of the “Tilma”, where Our Lady’s image was miraculously imprinted. Then we will have time to visit Cathedral of the Annunciation (Metropolitan Cathedral), and then make your way to San Juan Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to mythology, this site was chosen to be the center of the universe, and from then on, it became a prominent political and religious center from the second century until the ninth century. While in San Juan Teotihuacan, you will enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant, followed by a guided tour of the Archaeological zone. View the pyramids of the Sun and Moon and learn how the Aztecs used to work the obsidian stone and the multiple uses of the Maguey Plant. Your fun-filled busy day will culminate with a delicious dinner and an overnight at your hotel.

This morning after breakfast you will depart for Holy Family Church, where you will view the tomb of the Jesuit martyr, Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro. During the Mexican Revolution, Fr. Pro was exiled from Mexico due to the great amount of religious persecution. Yet he bravely returned to Mexico and was aided by a clandestine group that helped him hide from the authorities. He assisted many individuals with their spiritual and temporal needs during the persecution. Although he helped many, he was eventually arrested and killed. His final words before the firing squad were “Viva Cristo Rey!” which translates to “Long Live Christ the King!” At Holy Family Church, you can venerate this saint’s relics and ask for his intercession. We will also celebrate Mass here and visit the small yet inspiring museum dedicated to Fr. Pro’s life, mission, and sacrifice. We will continue to the Church of Santo Domingo, which stands on the same site where the first temple was built after the conquest of the Dominicans. Inside the church, you will see several chapels, and you will have the opportunity to pray the rosary in the chapel dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary. Another chapel is dedicated to the Spanish Virgin of Covadonga (patroness of the Asturian Immigrants), and another is dedicated to the “Lord of the Rebozo.” This church is also significant for the historical characters buried here, such as Francisco Vazquez de Coronado. Next, we will have lunch near the city center before continuing to the Church of San José del Altillo to see the crypt where Blessed Conchita Cabrera is buried. Blessed María Concepción Cabrera Arias de Armida, known as Conchita, was a model of holiness as a wife, mother, widow, grandmother, and founder. Because of the depth of her writings, Conchita is recognized as a great mystic of the 20th century. In addition to her voluminous writings, Conchita founded several apostolates under the banner of “Works of the Cross.” Pope Saint John Paul II declared her Venerable on December 20, 1999, and Pope Francis confirmed a miracle that was attributed to Conchita on June 8, 2018. She was beatified in Mexico City on May 4, 2019. Time for prayers and personal devotions will be provided. Your day will conclude with another delicious dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.

A fun-filled day is ahead of you. Enjoy a spectacular drive to what is known as Mexico’s most beautify city – Puebla. On your ride, you will climb to over 10,000 feet above sea level and view two magnificent peaks; one that is covered with snow and the other that is an active volcano. On our sightseeing tour we will visit: the Cathedral dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, a treasure of colonial art, the Church of St. Dominic to admire the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary built in 1690. This is an outstanding example of Mexican Baroque, with dazzling use of gilded stucco and onyx stonework. The Church of St. Francis of Assisi, where you will view the incorrupt body of St. Sebastian of Aparicido and time for shopping at the local Parian market with its colorful, glazed pottery. Enjoy a typical poblano lunch will Mole tasting be served at a local restaurant. Return to Mexico City for dinner and an overnight.

After breakfast, we will head to the Church of the Fifth Apparition, where the Blessed Virgin Maria de Guadalupe appeared to and healed Juan Bernardino, Juan Diego’s uncle. On the fatal sickness and sudden healing of his uncle, Our Lady told St. Juan, “Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you… Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.” Here you can find a well of healing water from which the locals drink. You can pause at the well and reflect on the consoling words of our Mother Mary. We will celebrate Mass before we return to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for one last prayer before the miraculous image of the Mother of God. You will have time for leisure and fun for our final afternoon before enjoying a fantastic last dinner out.

This morning, transfer to the airport for your return flight(s) home. You will say farewell to friends and a pilgrimage that will last in your memory for years to come.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.