February 11–19 | 9 Days 8 nights| Limited to 12 travelers
When people think of Mexico City and its surroundings, agriculture may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet beyond the busy avenues, there are places where farming and agriculture remain part of daily life—places like Xochimilco, Tlaxcala, and Puebla, where chinampas, heirloom corn, and fields of maguey still anchor community and culture.
This is a tour designed for people who want go beyond surface-level sightseeing and understand on a deeper level the connections between land, culture, legacy and people. It is an immersive, grounded experience that takes you into kitchens, fields, workshops, and markets—into the living culture of food and farming that sustains not only Mexico City and its surroundings, but also the country’s unique place in world gastronomy.
Tour Information
There’s the Mexico most people think they know — the one introduced through monuments, museums, famous restaurants, and best-of lists.
And then there’s another way of understanding the country; through the people who grow its food, tend its maguey fields, preserve its traditions, and continue shaping its culinary identity every single day.
This journey is about that Mexico.
Over nine days, twelve travelers will explore Mexico City, Tlaxcala, and Puebla, through the landscapes and into the kitchens, markets, distilleries where Mexico’s culinary and cultural identity was forged — and where it continues to evolve today. This isn’t a tour of famous restaurants. It is an invitation to understand the ecosystems that make Mexican cuisine possible.
Together with Mezcalistas co-founder Susan Coss and local curator and guide Joahna Hernandez, we will spend time with producers, cooks, artisans, historians, and farming families whose work tells a much deeper story than any menu ever could. This is a behind-the-scenes look at why Mexico has become one of the most exciting culinary destinations on earth.
We’ll take an early morning stroll through pre-Hispanic ruins. We’ll harvest corn by hand on a working rancho. We’ll taste drinks that have existed for thousands of years to understand how they have evolved and influenced what we drink today. We’ll sit down to a traditional barbacoa, sip pulque drawn from maguey we encountered earlier that day, and watch the sun rise over the canals of Xochimilco from a boat.
This journey moves slowly, intentionally and with curiosity. Rather than rushing in between landmarks, each experience reveals how history, agriculture, craft, and cuisine remain deeply intertwined.
Space is intentionally limited to 12 guests. A small group allows us to travel thoughtfully, keeps our access to small producers and private spaces intact, and makes this a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The Journey, Day by Day
Day 1 — Thursday, February 11 | Arrival in Mexico City
Touch down in CDMX and settle into Coyoacán, one of the capital’s most beloved neighborhoods. In the evening, we will gather for a welcome dinner at Los Danzantes, one of the city’s most storied restaurants, where Oaxacan tradition meets contemporary technique. Consider it the overture, our first conversation around the table and our first taste of the flavors we’ll spend the next week tracing back to their roots.
Day 2 — Friday, February 12 | Coyoacán & the Roots of Modern Mexican Art
We begin with a guided coffee tasting to understand Mexico’s growing specialty coffee scene, before setting off on a walking tour of Coyoacán, the cobblestoned neighborhood that shaped Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. From there, we visit the striking Anahuacalli Museum, Rivera’s pyramid-inspired temple to pre-Hispanic art, before an evening of pure indulgence: an optional taco crawl through some of the city’s best stands, followed by a mezcal and craft beer night at a hidden bar built for exactly this kind of celebration (NOTE: Taco crawl and drinks are not included in the trip cost).
Day 3 — Saturday, February 13 | Coffee, Agave & the Road to Tlaxcala
Leaving the city behind, we travel into Tlaxcala, a state whose culinary traditions remain surprisingly overlooked despite their profound influence on central Mexico. Breakfast and a maguey/distillery tour await in San Felipe Sultepec, followed by a second stop at the archaeological site of Tecoaque before settling into our hacienda in Nanacamilpa, where dinner and conversation continue around the traditions of agave and maize with Cuatro Volcanes. Special Guest: Ernesto Vargas Mendoza
Day 4 — Sunday, February 14 | Harvest Day & the Hacienda
Today is hands-in-the-soil, literally. We travel to a working rancho for pixca de maíz, harvesting corn alongside the people who continue cultivating native varieties. Together we’ll make tortillas, share a barbacoa prepared in the traditional underground style, and experience firsthand how agriculture, cooking, and community remain inseparable in rural Mexico. From there, we cross into Puebla and check into a historic hacienda, where dinner comes with a mezcal tasting and the evening winds down around an open fire under starry skies. Special guest: Cesar Lima
Day 5 — Monday, February 15 | Cantona & the Hidden Lagoon
An early departure takes us to Cantona, one of Mexico’s most significant and least visited archaeological sites. Walking its expansive stone streets offers an opportunity to understand the scale and sophistication of pre-Hispanic life beyond the better-known sites. From there, we continue to the striking Laguna Achichilca, a volcanic lagoon few travelers ever see. And finally, after a morning of outdoor activity, we’ll have a hearty lunch followed by an afternoon of cheesemaking (and tasting!) before returning to Mexico City in the evening.
Day 6 — Tuesday, February 16 | Xochimilco, Art, and Ancient Brews
This is the day we wake before the sun to explore the city’s remaining network of canals. We board small trajineras as Xochimilco slowly comes to life. Without the crowds or amplified music, the canals become something entirely different: a living agricultural landscape that has nourished the Valley of Mexico for centuries. Afterward, we wander the local mercado for shopping, coffee, and crafts, visit the Museo Dolores Olmedo, and close the day with a tasting of bebidas ancestrales — traditional fermented beverages rooted in pre-Hispanic tradition. Special Guests: Cassandra Garduño and César Iván Linares
Day 7 — Wednesday, February 17 | Centro Histórico & Artisan Traditions
A walking tour through Mexico City’s Centro Histórico grounds us in the layered history of the capital, from Aztec Tenochtitlan to Spanish colonial rule to the modern megacity of today. After lunch, we’ll visit a specialty artisan tasting workshop in Colonia Doctores, followed by a dinner experience weaving together chocolate history and craft in Santa María la Ribera. Special Guests: Jorge Pedro Uribe, Kiara Hernández and Mariana Castillo
Day 8 — Thursday, February 18 | Markets, Craft & Farewell
Our final full day begins at Mercado Jamaica, the city’s legendary flower and folk-remedy market, followed by an artisan workshop in the leafy, art-filled neighborhood of San Ángel. We close the trip the way it deserves — with a farewell dinner and tasting, and a last toast to a week that will have completely reshaped how this group sees Mexico. Special guests: Joaquín Cardoso, Ana Jacinto Blanco, and Erick Rodriguez
Day 9 — Friday, February 19 | Departure
Transfer to the airport, with a suitcase full of stories (and probably a bottle or two of mezcal).
Why This Trip
- A deeper story, not a checklist of sights and establishments — every stop connects to the next, tracing how maize, maguey, and market culture built the Mexico the world is only just becoming acquainted with
- People before places- where the journey is built around conversations
- Radical access — private distillery tastings, working ranchos, and artisan workshops that don’t appear on any public itinerary
- Small by design — capped at 12 travelers to protect the intimacy of the experience and our relationships with the local families, chefs, and producers who make it possible
This is a trip for the curious traveler. Local experts will help you dig deep and better understand the significance of the food you taste, the mezcal you sip, the vistas you view.
The bottles you bring home will eventually be emptied, but the conversations will live on.
Please email us if you are interested in learning more or joining us.
Cost
Single Occupancy
Early Booking: USD $4,870 per person
Regular Price: USD $5,170 per person
Double Occupancy
Early Booking: USD $4,700 per person
Regular Price: USD $5,000 per person
A limited number of single rooms are available and are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
What’s Included
- Eight nights of carefully selected accommodations
- Airport transfers in Mexico City
- Private transportation throughout the journey except for free time as noted in the itinerary
- Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as listed in the itinerary
- All guided experiences and entrance fees
- Mezcal, coffee, and beverage tastings included in the program
- Local guides and cultural hosts
- Welcome gift
What’s not Included
- International airfare
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Alcoholic beverages outside scheduled tastings
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Personal purchases and optional activities
Meet Your Tour Guides
Susan Coss, co-Founder Mezcalistas
Susan is the Co-founder and director of Mezcalistas, and has been traveling the backroads of mezcal producing regions since 2010. Over the past 20 years, Susan’s work has focused on promoting the connection between land, farmers, and food and beverage crafters. Through her work, she has developed innovative and experiential programming to engage consumers, including events, tours, talks, and educational materials. She has a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is bilingual.
Joahna Hernandez, Manos de Maiz
Joahna’s name may be familiar to many of you through her byline with Mezcalistas. In addition to being a great writer, she is also the founder of Manos de Maiz. When she is not writing for Mezcalistas or leading tours for Manos de Maiz, Joahna is busy with consulting projects. She most recently worked with Arca Tierra Collective, a group of young chefs and emerging talents transforming the freshly harvested ingredients from the chinampas in Xochimilco into delicious meals. Follow her @manosdemaizmx on Instagram.
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