(Stand alone or extension to Ascension of the Light Tour)

(Stand alone or extension to Andean Awakening Tour)

9-Day Itinerary

Day 1 Wednesday, March 20
Mexico City to Cuernavaca, Mexico
Travel from home airport to Mexico City and continue onto Cuernavaca. NOTE: please arrive at the Mexico City airport no later than 2:00 PM in order to catch our ride to Cuernavaca at approximately 3:00 PM. Details for meeting at the airport will be provided closer to trip departure. In the afternoon, we arrive at the Center for Dissemination & Practice of Traditional Medicine and participate in the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference of Shamans. (D)

Day 2 Thursday, March 21
Ome near Cuernavaca
We begin this day with a ceremony honoring the Spring Equinox; releasing seeds and manifesting abundance for our lives and the lives of all. Our day is filled with workshops on "Mexica Divination" and later a Temazcalli purification.

The word "temazcal" comes from the Nahuatl word Temazcalli that means "house of steam" (temaz=steam and calli=house). In ancient Mesoamerica it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion such as after a battle or a ceremonial ball game. It was also used for healing the sick, improving health, and for women to give birth. It continues to be used today in Indigenous cultures of Mexico and Central America that were part of the ancient Mesoamerican region for spiritual and health reasons. It is currently being recovered by all sectors of society in this part of the world and is used as a cleansing of mind, body and spirit.

Day 3 Friday, March 22
INTERCULTURAL UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF MEXICO
Our day begins early with a ceremony to honor the day before we depart at 7am to visit the Intercultural University of the State of Mexico and take part in the Conference. (The opening of intercultural universities in Mexico began in 2003 as an initial resolution to a basic justice criterion. These are institutions that are mainly placed in regions populated by indigenous peoples.)

Our afternoon meal and dinner are in the home of community members of San Miguel. (B,L,D)

Day 4 Saturday, March 23
Studies and Audience with Indigenous Shamans
and Traditional Healers

 
We partake in unique opportunity of "Studies and Audience with Indigenous Shamans and Traditional Healers." The shamans and healers travel to El Centro de Desarrolo Humano Hacia la Comunidad (CEDEHC) in Cuernavaca to share their gifts with us. We continue to meet and enjoy meals with community members. (B,L,D)

Day 5 Sunday, March 24
Studies and Audience with Indigenous Shamans
and Traditional Healers
We begin our day at CEDEHC for the Health Fair. We join the community for breakfast and the "Groundbreaking Ceremony." The shamans and traditional healers offer optional treatment sessions (at an additional cost/love offering). Many different types of treatments are available, so sense what is perfect for you and treat yourself to traditional therapies.

Later in the day, we participate in a Temazcalli purification. (B,L,D)

Day 6 Monday, March 25
Tepoztlan
After starting our day with breakfast and a morning ceremony, we travel to Tepoztlán; a town in the heart of the Tepoztlán Valley. The town is famous for the remains of a temple built on top of the nearby Tepozteco Mountain, where we make ceremony to connect with our surroundings.

Tepoztlán is one of the strangest and most beautiful towns in Mexico; it occupies the floor of a broad, lush valley whose walls were formed by bizarrely shaped mountains that look like the work of some abstract expressionist giant. Tepoztlán is steeped in legend and mystery as it lies adjacent to the alleged birthplace of Quetzalcóatl, the Aztec serpent god and comes about as close as you're going to get to an unspoiled, magical mountain hideaway

In the evening, we join the "Cosmic Heritage of Our Ancestors" workshop. (B, L, D)

Day 7 Tuesday, March 26
Xochicalco & Malinalco
We head out in the morning to visit the pyramids of Xochicalco, "the house of flowers." The town is home to several temples, three ball-courts, sweat-baths, circular altars and a cave with stairs carved down into it. Here we find the entrance to the womb of Mother Earth. Mayan traders founded the site in 650 AD. Probably due to its excellent position along the trade routes, it was home to a community of artists, as there are many interesting sculptured reliefs on the buildings, including Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent.

From here we travel on to Malinalco, the legendary home of the goddess Malinalxóchitl. The Malinalco municipality has always been associated with magic or sorcery. This includes the village of Chalma, where according to legend, an image of a Black Christ miraculously appeared in a cave that was devoted to the god Oxtoteotl. It is the second-most visited shrine in Mexico, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Another attraction of this archaeological site is the Cuauhcalli or House of Eagles, which is a building carved out of the side of the mountain.

Malinalco is also known as the "place of the grass or herb" because of the Malinalli plant. Malinalli, with its beautiful white flower, has been used in ceremonies over the ages. We visit the museum that explores the plant's history and uses.

We also visit the Malinalco Ceremony Center and the craft market. (B,L,D)

Day 8 Wednesday, March 27
Teopanzolco ("Abandoned Temple") & Cortez Palace
Rounding out our journey of ancient sites, we visit the ruins of Teopanzolco standing in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico. This is the home of a great double pyramid where the two gods, Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli, were worshiped.

We also visit the Cortez Palace, which is nearly 500 years old. The palace has quite a history; it was built originally to be a fortified residence for Hernan Cortes and his wife, then replaced as a personal residence until it was abandoned by the Cortes family. It went on to become a barracks and jail and then the seat of government for the state of Morelos. The state government moved out and the building was converted into the current museum, with has exhibits on the history of Morelos.

After touring the museum we take time to wander through the town's craft market. (B,L,D)

Day 9 Thursday, March 28
Departure Day
After breakfast, we depart for Mexico City to catch our flights home. We arrive at the airport in time for all flights departing at 9:30 AM or later. NOTE: Please schedule your return flight at 9:30 AM or later. (B)