Culture, Crafts and Cuisine in Oaxaca, Mexico
Join us from February 5 to 16, 2020
Oaxaca, Mexico
In partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University
About the tour:
Oaxaca, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, is a magical city with excellent museums and galleries, striking examples of Spanish colonial architecture, fabulous restaurants, traditional markets and colorful festivals. It’s a place where you can experience all periods of Mexican history, from the pre-Columbian and colonial eras to contemporary times.
The city of Oaxaca offers a unique window into Mexican culture and traditions and is today recognized as one of the top culinary centers in Mexico, home of the seven moles and renowned for its diversity and unique flavors.
Oaxaca City is ringed by small villages, many specializing in a particular craft such as woolen rugs, pottery, basketry, colorful cotton woven fabrics, embroidered clothing, tin and leather work and notably the intricately carved and painted wooden figures known as alebrijes. Also within easy reach of the city are several 2500-year-old Zapotec archaeological sites, including Monte Alban and Mitla.
Oaxaca has the charm of a small colonial city yet is large enough to offer a broad array of locations and experiences that will present opportunities to see a side of Mexico missed by most visitors and make your Culture, Crafts and Cuisine in Oaxaca tour both fun and informative.
Trip Location:
Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca is a safe and accessible city that lies at 5000 feet among mountains in the interior of Mexico. It’s sunny and warm climate attracts a growing number of visitors, but the city has escaped the rapid development found along the coasts in Mexico. Your fellow visitors are as likely to be European as Americans.
The city lies in a valley with green hills on all sides and the historic center of the city could be as easily in Spain as in Mexico. Such is the Spanish heritage of this vibrant city. But Oaxaca is uniquely Mexican and it is considered a cultural jewel both by Mexicans and by visitors.
The center of the city is quiet with pedestrian streets, outdoor cafes, galleries and craft shops. There are many public markets within walking distance of the city center, not to mention the zocalo central plaza with its wrought iron bandstand, the cathedral, botanical gardens, and the Templo de Santo Domino.
Tour Dates: February 5 to 16, 2020
Cost: $2700
Maximum group size: 16
How to Register:
Places on this tour are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The trip is expected to fill quickly given the subject of this tour and the location’s popularity.
Tour Activities:
While in Oaxaca, you will divide your time among our three tour themes of culture, crafts and cuisine, both inside and outside the city. Examples of possible tour activities include:
Culture:
Visits to museums and galleries:
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca
Museo de Antropología de Rufino Tamayo
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
Casa de Juárez
Centro de Artes de San Agustín Etla
Tours of Archaeological sites:
Monte Alban
Atzompa
Mitla
Crafts:
Excursions to craft villages
Teotitlan del Valle (woven woolen rugs)
Atzompa (green pottery)
San Martin Tilcajete (alebrijes)
Ocotlan (black pottery)
Santo Tomas Jalieza (woven cotton goods)
Visits with Artisan Cooperatives
Vida Nueva women’s weaving cooperative
Casa de Artesanía regional craft cooperative
MARO women artisan marketing cooperative
Cuisine:
Visits to major traditional public markets both in and outside the city
Dinners at top restaurants
Comida típica at village restaurants while on excursions
Optional cooking class
Other activities:
Walking tour of the historic center of Oaxaca
Visit to the Tule Tree
Tlacolula Sunday Market
Tour of the Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Gardens
Tour leader:
Mimi Marchev
Mimi served for10 years as the Academic Director of college programs run by SIT Study Abroad, leading groups of US college students through 15-credit academic programs.
Mimi has also run other programs in Oaxaca, including ones for the River Gallery School and Maine Audubon, as well as a number of custom programs for GAP students.
After earning a Masters degree from SIT Graduate Institute, Mimi served as Academic Director for the SIT Study Abroad programs in Valparaiso, Chile and Oaxaca, Mexico, and more recently in SIT headquarters in Vermont in the Legal and HR departments supporting the global SIT Study Abroad staff.
Mimi recently retired from full-time work with SIT and once again happily resides in Oaxaca.
In organizing this trip for you, Mimi has drawn from the many contacts she has in Oaxacan academic, cultural and culinary circles to arrange session leaders, guides, cooking class instructors and more.
Trip Details
This trip is open only to members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University.
Trip Costs:
Total cost of the trip is $2,700
Supplement for single occupancy of $450
Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $450
(Places on the trip are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.)
What’s included in the cost of the trip:
Participation in all tour activities
11 nights lodging
11 breakfasts and dinners (or main meal of the day at lunch), including appropriate amount of wine or beer at dinner
Pickup and drop off at designated airport
Local transportation by van and driver
Participation in excursions and all tour activities, including entrance fees and tips for full-group activities
Single occupancy lodging if supplemental fee of $450 is paid
What’s not included:
Airfare
Cost of optional activities such as a cooking class
Admission to museums and local sites visited independently
Lunch and snacks
Payment schedule:
Deposit: $450 at time of reservation
First payment: $1125 by November 15, 2019
Final payment: $1125 by January 1, 2020
Optional Single Supplement: $450
Your deposit:
Places on the tour are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. A deposit is required to reserve our place. This deposit is non-refundable, unless of course the trip is canceled for any reason by Travel Fever Tours. Natural disasters, political instability or low enrollment would form the basis for canceling a trip. You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements. In all cases, review of enrollment numbers will not take place any later than the date of the First Installment payment.
Lodging:
We’ll be staying at the Hotel Casa del Sótano in the historic center of Oaxaca with easy access to the main pedestrian walking street and main attractions.
Single and Double rooms are available. Double rooms have either a single bed or twin beds. All rooms have private bathrooms.
Meals:
Traditional Mexican breakfasts to be taken at the hotel.
The main meal of the day, normally dinner, will be taken at top restaurants in Oaxaca or at restaurants outside of Oaxaca.
Pre-trip or End-of-trip add-ons (optional):
At the start or end of the trip, participants may opt for additional nights in Oaxaca or elsewhere in Mexico, including Mexico City. Such add-ons are organized independently by each participant.
Group size:
Maximum: 16