The ICAA is pleased to to present this tour of the private residences, art collections, gardens, and historic sites of Mexico. This tour will be led by Pamela Huntington Darling, consultant and creator of exclusive cultural travel programs, and artist, architectural historian, and writer Andrew Zega, who lived in Mexico for several years. Former architectural designer and watercolorist for Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Andrew is the co-founder of the partnership Architectural Watercolors with Bernd H. Dams, which creates watercolors of historic American and European buildings and gardens.
During the tour, participants will enjoy exclusive access and curator-led visits to the most esteemed museums and art galleries, as well as exclusive receptions at private residences celebrated for their architecture, gardens, interior decor, and art collections.
In addition, an optional extension is offered from November 16th to November 20th to the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende, boasting 17th and 18th Century Baroque and Neoclassical architecture. During the extension, participants will have the opportunity to meet with leading architects and interior designers who will open their traditional haciendas or magnificently renovated villas. For the extension, the group will be accompanied by Marcia Weber, owner and president of Marcia Weber Gardens to Love and longtime resident of San Miguel de Allende.
This tour is arranged by Pamela Huntington Darling, Consultant and creator of exclusive cultural travel programs. For more information, please email Pamela Huntington Darling ([email protected]), visit www.exclusiveculturaltours.com, or call +33 1 45 67 62 81.
Please note a fully tax-deductible donation of $500 per person is required to participate in this travel program. All travel program participants have the opportunity to receive a complimentary Individual level membership for one year to the ICAA.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Included on the tour is a private visit to the acclaimed Belle Époque Palacio de Bellas Artes, welcomed by the Director, closed to the public this day. Mexico City’s landmark cultural center, the imposing Palace of Fine Arts, called the "Cathedral of Art in Mexico", hosts foremost cultural events of the city. Erected between 1904 and 1934, on the site of the convent Santa Isabel, built in 1680, the Palace of Fine Arts’ architecture brilliantly combines several styles, notably Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Lunch at the Private Residence of Wesley Gleason
Participants will enjoy a convivial lunch at the admirable private residence of Wesley Gleason, an 18th century home in San Miguel’s centro histórico, which he marvelously restored. A native of Atlanta, Wesley has come to San Miguel throughout his life and has lived permanently for the last decade. Having marvelously restored his own 18th Century home, Wesley is knowledgeable of the process and has remained intrigued by San Miguel real estate and architecture ever since.
Luis Barrágan House
Participants will enjoy a private visit before hours to the Luis Barrágan House and Studio, the stunning home of Luis Barrágan House and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Licio Lagos Collection
Participants will enjoy a private visit to view the famous Licio Lagos Collection of pre-Columbian and Latin American art and artifacts, which is not open to the public. The group will be accompanied by Licio Minvielle's mother.
Cuadra San Cristóbal
Participants will experience a private visit with the owner to Pritzker Prize-winning Luis Barragán’s masterpiece, the stunning Cuadra San Cristóbal, a privately-owned Mexican ranch built for the Egerström family. The elegant and remarkable Cuadra San Cristóbal is a combination of experimental work of the international modernist movement, while incorporating the architectural elements of traditional Mexican ranchos and haciendas; not open to the public.
Lomas de Chapultepec
During the tour, participants will dine at a private residence in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, home to some of the most beautiful estates of Mexico City. Here, there will also be a visit to the hosts' exceptional collection of modern and contemporary art, housed in an extraordinary private museum adjacent to their grand residence.
Museo Jumex
During the tour, participants will visit the Museo Jumez, renowned for hosting the largest private contemporary art collection in Latin America, with over 2,000 works by several noted artists. Completed in 2013, Museo Jumex is David Chipperfield's first project in Latin America.
Hacienda de la Buena Fe
Participants will enjoy a farewell dinner at the stunning Hacienda de la Buena Fe of Michelle Nussbaumer, renowned interior designer and author of the remarkable book Wanderlust. As a curator who discovers exquisite treasures all over the world for her projects and her Dallas-based design store Ceylon et Cie, Michelle Nussbaumer has a signature style, in multilayered rooms that mix periods with antique textiles, embroideries and weavings, unconventional furniture, and global art
Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Museum
Participants will experience a private visit to the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Museum, which features a collection of the couple's art, including Diego Rivera's papier-mâché figures. The Museum combines a bold functionalist style with more traditional Mexican forms, and was designed by the famed artist and architect Juan O'Gorman in the style of Le Corbusier.
Teotihuacan
The tour features a day excursion to the extraordinary city of Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site northeast of Mexico City. Teotihuacan, famed for its unique, pyramid complex, was originally built between the 1st and 7th Centuries. It is characterized by the vast size of its monuments, including the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out in geometric and symbolic principles.
Tepotzotlán
Featured on the tour is a day excursion to the city of Tepotzotlán, noted for its charming and picturesque town center, which has conserved its authentic colonial streets.
El Museo del Virreinato
Participants will visit El Museo del Virreinato, housed in a 16th Century religious complex. The Museo is considered to be one of the most impressive in the country due to both its collection and the aesthetics of the building which houses it. The complex contains several interior courtyards, as well as a royal chapel, library, dormitories, and more.
Church of San Francisco Javier
Participants will visit the Church of San Francisco Javier, noted for its unparalleled splendor and extensive gardens.
Church of Santa María Tonantzintla
The tour features a visit to the Church of Santa María Tonantzintla, offering spectacular mosaics of religious imagery. The interior of this late 17th Century church features beautiful abstract decorative elements.
Museo del Barroco
The Museo del Barroco is a modern interpretation of the Baroque artistic movement, designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito.
Atotonilco Sanctuary
During the optional extension, participants will have the ability to visit the Atotonilco Sanctuary, a World Heritage Site. The main feature of the complex is the rich Mexican Baroque mural work by Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre.
Casa Lala
Cocktail buffet dinner at Casa Lala, designer Rela Gleason’s fabulous residence. Nestled behind the 18th Century carriage entry of a former hacienda on the Parque Juarez, Casa Lala is the newly constructed vision conjured by designer Rela Gleason. Reminiscent of early 20th Century industrial architecture-loft like spaces with soaring beamed ceilings are crafted by local craftsmen in authentic Mexican tradition. We will enjoy a cocktail dinner with splendid sunset views from the roof-top terrace overlooking the gardens with views of the Parroquia and the city.
Casa Acanto
During the extension, participants will enjoy a welcome lunch at the private residence of the celebrated interior designers Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher, the Casa Acanto. Located in the town’s historic center, their residence has a blue and white palette, inspired by local tile, unifying the spaces throughout the property. Casa Acanto's lush gardens and jacaranda trees provide bold color that complements the interior palette.
Chapel Ceiling of the Museo Nacional del Virreinato (Image: wikimedia/Alejandro Linares Garcia)
Church of Santa María Tonatzintla (Image: wikimedia/Russ Bowling)
San Miguel de Allende (Image: Flickr/Jiuguang Wang)
If you would like to register, you may contact the travel operator organizing the program. Please note that a $500 donation per person to the ICAA is required in order to participate in each travel program. The contact information for ICAA tour operators is included on individual travel pages. Kindly note that the ICAA works with three different consultants for program offerings. If you are unsure which travel consultant to contact for a given program, you may email [email protected] or call 212-730-9646 x109.
Your $500 donation helps to further the ICAA’s goal of advancing the practice and appreciation of the classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts by supporting its varied educational programs, including continuing education courses, college workshops, the Summer Studio in Classical Architecture, New Heights, and many more.
Yes, a donation of $500 to the ICAA is required for each travel program you register for. The donation is required for each person attending a tour.
You can make your $500 donation to the ICAA online, or you can download, complete, and mail this form to the ICAA. You can alternatively fax a copy to 212-730-9649. You may also call 212-730-9646 x109 or email [email protected] to make a donation. Donations must be made separately from the registration fee.
No, membership is not required to attend an ICAA travel program. However, complimentary Individual membership to the ICAA is included with your $500 required donation.
Please contact [email protected] for more information. Due to the exclusive nature of our tours, some private locations or visits may be omitted from the ICAA's website.
Over the past several years, the ICAA has travelled to destinations including Paris; Andalusia; Atlanta; Barbados; South Africa; Chicago; the Netherlands and Belgium; Scotland; the French Riviera; Morocco; the Italian Lake Region; Charlottesville; Naples; and New Delhi, among many other locations. The ICAA is always looking to diversify its travel offerings. If you have a suggestion or location you would like to see added, please email [email protected].