Travel with the Gardens: Mexico's Art, Culture & Cuisine

Experience four glorious days of art, culture and cuisine: Mexico City and beyond.

For most travelers, Mexico City is not on their bucket list. Typically, people choose Cancun before anything else. I mean, I get it. White sand, clear water, a waiter who makes sure the drinks are full. What’s not to love? I too would have picked Cancun over Mexico City any day. That is until I visited Mexico City for the very first time back in 2019—and then it all changed. 

First impression: What a mess. The airport was chaotic, no rhyme or reason to anything. So many people, so dysfunctional, I had no clue how to navigate anything—and that’s coming from someone who is fluent in Spanish. I remember asking myself, “Where am I, what have I done?” It wasn’t until I left the airport that I started to see the beauty. 

Knowing very little about this city, I started with the two things most comfortable for me: food and art. At panaderías (bakeries), lines wrapped around the block for good reason. Here, I discovered delicacies and flavors unknown to me, like pambazos, a Mexican bread soaked in a special sauce, fried until hot and crisp, then stuffed with homemade chorizo. 

Palacio de Bellas Artes, a piece of art itself, is an ornate Art Nouveau and Art Deco building completed in the 1930s, boasting enormous paintings by famed Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfar Siqueiros. 

Together, the incredible cuisine and rich art scene opened the doors of my imagination and ignited my vision to curate this unique vacation for others.

Here are the top three reasons you should join me this July:

1. It’s a Time Capsule: You will find many things to do and see in Mexico City that will transport you to another era. This city is one of the few destinations where you can discover pre-Hispanic ruins, colonial buildings, French-style buildings and the latest architectural trends all in one place.
2. Folk Art: Take a piece of Mexican tradition home by buying one of the many products made by passionate artists where beauty, imagination and cultural heritage converge. How about decorating the house with a Talavera vase made in Puebla? Or the laborious and colorful fabrics of Chiapas or the black Oaxacan clay? Bring home an alebrije (spirit animals) or a unique work of art created by the magical hands of the Huicholes. Best of all, you’ll have the opportunity to attend a workshop in the home of two of the region’s most talented folk artists, who will guide us in crafting our own alebrijes. 
3. Mexican Cuisine is a Rainbow: Yes, tacos are adored by thousands, but there’s a whole lot more than just tacos in Mexico. The country is enormous and so is the variety of food. Different regions have different kinds of cuisine, for example, pozole, mole, chiles en nogada, etc. Mexico is enjoyable and delicious, whether you are in a mega-recognized restaurant or a market stall. It’s no wonder that in 2010, Mexican gastronomy became part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. 

Denver Botanic Gardens and Reef to Rockies bring you an unforgettable experience traveling through Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca.