Spiritual Eco Journey of Toltec Wisdom

 
Where: Oaxaca, Mexico
When: Group Tour TBA

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Book now as a custom private adventure

 

Duration: 8 days
Group Size  min 8-10 people
Price: TBD

Overview

Discover the beauty & diversity of the ancient cultures of Oaxaca, delve into the hip & modern city of Oaxaca & explore in Nature the visible side of Spirit

Come discover the beauty and diversity of Oaxaca City, Mexico , explore it’s outlying indigenous villages and ruins, and learn ancient indigenous shamanic healing practices with Spiritual Leaders of Toltec Wisdom. First you will visit Zapotec local artists and healers, tour the colonial city of Oaxaca, eat divine regional cuisine, practice yoga and ecstatic dance with like minded locals & explore the energy of the pyramids. Finish with a 4 day ceremonial retreat at an eco-lodge in the highlands of Oaxaca. A unique and authentic Journey not to be missed. Check out the itinerary below to get detailed information.

 

Itinerary & Excursions

Daily Itinerary

You will be staying in a boutique style hotel in the heart of the colonial downtown area of Oaxaca City. These 4 days are dedicated to acquainting you  to the beauty & uniqueness of Oaxaca, it’s archeological sites, outlying indigenous villages and the local healing arts.  During this time you will experience the following: 

  • Experience a  traditional temascal (Zapotec ritual sweat bath) with herbalist and healer Doña Enriqueta Contreras. Wet steam bathing has been a ritual part of Zapotec culture for 2,500 years. 
  • Black pottery tour and Alebrije Art Workshop
  • Zapotec Weaving Village Tour
  • Monte Alban Pyramids Ceremonial Tour
  • Participate in a yoga class & an ecstatic dance class at a local yoga center.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet like minded Oaxacans.
  • Tour the colonial downtown, it’s main plaza & off-the-beaten path areas of interest.
  • Eat local regional cuisine from carefully selected homes & restaurants
  • Mezcal tasting
  • A night on the town with Salsa Dancing
  • Visit the interactive local Organic Farmer’s Market and have a beautiful lunch in the plaza while listening to local musicians
You will be staying at a lovely eco-lodge in the highlands just outside of Oaxaca City. Spiritual Leader of Toltec WIsdom, Armando Cruz Sanchez & Maria Ines will be leading in a 4 day ceremonial retreat. During the retreat, we will practice individual and group rituals for cleansing, union, expansion of awareness, offerings and giving thanks. The group rituals take place in a magical time and space where we can let go of our ego limitations and gather our energies to experience ourselves as beings of power, light, love and knowledge – our true Selves.

OBJECTIVES

  • Learn to perceive in Nature the purposes of Spirit
  • Learn to cleanse our energetic body and our spirit
  • Start to recover our perceptive side, safely and powerfully
  • Live the magic of a true encounter with other
  • Discover in Nature the visible side of Spirit
  • Learn to direct our energy to reach the yearning of our heart

RITUALS & ACTIVITIES:

  • Mask making: Working with Social Masks: integrating the dark & light side of humans
  • mayan  & toltec ceremonies of offering &  gratitude to manifest your highest purpose
  • making colorful yarn  representations of your future intentions: what are you going to offer & give
  • Working with elements of nature to return your true home.
  • making an energetic natural bed to restore energy.
  • antena of ribbons ceremony to set intentions
  • mandala gratitude offering.

Excursions list & description

We have carefully selected the following excursions to help you discover the beauty and diversity of Oaxaca.

First we will visit Monte Alban, a massive complex of pyramids, terraces and crumbling temples that was founded in 500 A.D. This ancient ceremonial site is considered to be one of the most important examples of pre-Columbian culture in all of México.

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55On our return from Monte Alban, we will visit a small village known for it’s sculptured pottery that many of its citizens produce. The muñecas, or figures, are fanciful and intricate. This type of pottery has become a unique and very collectible art form as well as a beautiful addition to any decor. You will be given a demonstration by world famous ceramist Irma Blanco.

233On this excursion we will first visit a small Zapotec indigenous village known for it’s production of world famous colorful rugs. (tapetes).

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Nearly every home is filled with family members who card, spin and color wool, often using hand-gathered natural dyes.
59We will spend the afternoon visiting the homes of these Zapotec weavers and walking the cobblestone streets of this village nestled in the mountains of the central valley of Oaxaca. You will be treated to a traditional Zapotec meal before departing.

82This all day excursion first begins with a visit to a market town just south of Oaxaca City in the Central Valley. The town’s artisans are world famous for their black pottery (barro negro). You will then be treated to a beautiful lunch featuring one of the most famous dishes in Mexico, Chile en Nogada.64

65The last stop of the day will be at a small village known for its artisans that produce the fanciful wood carvings called Alebrijes. Participants of the program will have the opportunity to do an alebrije workshop and paint a wood “animalito”70

Location:

Oaxaca, Mexico
The city of Oaxaca (altitude 5070 ft.) is located in the heart of two verdant valleys and has an ideal Spring-like climate. Folk art, festivals and fascinating indigenous cultures make Oaxaca one of the most magical of Mexico’s many colonial cities. Zapotec and Mixtec ruins and traditional rural villages lie just a few miles from the beautifully preserved city center. Streets around the Plaza Principal, one of the prettiest public parks in all Mexico, have been closed to traffic and transformed into pedestrian malls. Colonial haciendas house excellent restaurants featuring world famous Oaxacan regional cuisine; some offer live music at nigh ranging from jazz to tropical. Oaxaca city with its hip cafés, art galleries, and live music scene, has a bohemian feel while maintaining its colonial charm and links to its pre-Hispanic past.

Highlights

Zapotec Temezcal with Elder Enriqueta Contreras

The Sacred Root Yoga Adventure includes a rare opportunity to meet and learn from Master Zapotec healer, midwife & herbalist Enriqueta Contreras. We will visit with Enriqueta twice during our time in Oaxaca. One evening you will have the opportunity to experience a traditional Zapotec Temascal (wet steam bath). The afternoon following the Temascal ,Enriqueta will lead a workshop on women’s emotional, physical, & spiritual health.

Wet steam bathing has been a ritual part of Zapotec culture for 2,500 years. Doña Enriqueta’s traditional temascal (ritual sweat bath) is an experience never to forget. Enriqueta spends all day carefully preparing the ritual aspects, from stoking the fires, preparing the bathing and drinking teas, to creating the flowers/herbs for cleansing. You will have the option to experience the Temascal at the home and clinic of Doña Enriqueta. The actual wet steam bath is one hour and incorporates prayer, toning, singing, laughing & telling personal stories. There is a post-temascal resting space where time is provided for relaxation & meditation while enjoying restorative herbal teas.

About Enriqueta Contreras

Enriqueta is a highly respected and well known elder & healer of the Meso-American Zapotec indigenous people located in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is a descendant from a long line of Zapotec shamans that date back to 500 B.C. Enriqueta owns and operates a health clinic for her community and international visitors. Her history as a practicing midwife for more than sixty years has yielded a flawless career with no mother or infant ever lost during the birth process.

Accommodations

Days 1-4 Exploring Oaxaca; Its Diversity and Local Healing Arts

We will be staying in the heart of the colonial center of downtown Oaxaca in a beautiful boutique hotel. The hotel is within is steps away from many places of interest, parks, restaurants and cafes.

Days 5-9: Toltec Wisdom Eco Retreat

We will be staying the lush highlands of Oaxaca in a native Zapotec community that offers eco-lodge accommodations. The village is a living example of a functioning sustainable community. We will be fed 3 delicious home-made meals daily straight from the garden.

Inclusions

What’s Included

(This is an all-inclusive tour with no hidden costs.)

  • 4 nights in boutique hotel in colonial downtown with 2 delicious regional meals daily.
  • 3 nights in eco-cabin in the highlands of Oaxaca with 3 homemade organic meals daily.
  • 4 day shamanic retreat with Spiritual leader of Toltec Wisdom, Armando Cruz Sanchez
  • Spiritual ceremonies & rituals for cleansing, union, expansion of awareness, offerings, gratitude & to manifest your highest purpose.
  • Entrance fees to archeological sites & museums
  • 3 Behind-the-scenes excursions with fully insured luxury transportation
  • “Temezcal” traditional Zapotec steam bath with Doña Enriqueta
  • Art workshops
  • Herbal identification walk & herbal making class
  • Yoga & Ecstatic dance class with Virginia Flip of Casa del Angel
  • Off the beaten path tours of Oaxaca
  • Dynamic onsite director & guides
  • Airport transfer to & from Oaxaca City Airport

What’s not Included

Airfare to and from Oaxaca, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, Guide gratuities, Excess baggage charges, Alcoholic beverages, Airport taxes and items of a personal nature such as souvenirs, laundry fees, immunizations or insurance of any kind.

Travel

If you are planning to travel with the group, contact us immediately to find out the specifics of the group flight. The sooner you make your reservation the more likely you will be able to travel with the group. Otherwise you may make other travel arrangements.

Safe & Secure Travel

Each program includes:

  • Insured, comfortable and air conditioned vehicles are provided for transportation in the host country.
  • Optional International Medical Travel Insurance for each participant.
  • Pre-departure advising
  • Pre-departure and onsite orientations
  • Risk Management & Crisis management plan

Cost

CUSTOMIZE THIS TOUR!
You pick the dates, the pace, the focus..

Customize your adventure Call Now 805.540.1762

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Reviews

This was more than a trip… where you see the sights and experience great food, meet great people… it was so much more than that… I brought home a renewed gratitude for all I have and all I have to offer… a beautiful journey!Michelle Cobbs, Morro Bay, California
Saying Yes to traveling with Dawn to Oaxaca has been one of the best choices that I have made and will last me a lifetime. It was a beautiful blend of culture, art and ceremony. Dawn exposed us to the most amazing, warm hearted and loving people that whole heartedly welcomed us into their homes and took the time to share their artistry and passion. The kindness of the people, the beauty of the land and the opportunity to experience a culture that has kept its traditional ways was a life altering experience I will never forget. Can’t wait to return with Dawn next year!
Angela Bailey, Los Osos, California

About Your Guides

Dawn Feuerberg (AKA Aurora in Spanish)

Owner and founder of Aurora Adventures, LLC.

Traveling for me is all about the connections. My ability to subtly bridge cross cultural connections between my travelers and the locals abroad is what sets me apart. At a very young age I began to travel on my own seeking out and connecting with the aboriginal, the indigenous and the authentic local life abroad. Often times finding myself being the only non-native in the region. My longstanding relationships abroad give my clients access into an enriching, in depth local experience. I am both well connected and extremely enthusiastic about sharing my access with others.

 

I value the genuine art of discovery travel for all ages. I create flexible itineraries within my tours that provide individuals the opportunity to make new discoveries. This tone of flexibility and openness in my approach to travel is equally matched with my attention to detail, my ability to multi-task and basically get the job done in a coherent, safe, comfortable and if desired, luxurious manner.

Read full bio…

Armando Cruz Sanchez

He has lived and learnt with the surviving Toltecs, the Wirraritari (Huichol people), of the northern sierra of Jalisco. He has also been part of anti-anthropological field work and lived with the Nahua people in the mountains of Puebla, the Lacandon in the jungle of Chiapas, the Quechuas in Peru and the Maya in Guatemalan Peten. Being recognized as Spiritual Guide in all these places. Currently, he is leading Vision Quests and Sacred Journeys. Armando will be leading the group in a Toltec fire Ceremony and meditative walking journey.

Enriqueta Contreras

Enriqueta Contreras is a highly respected and well known elder and healer of the Meso-American Zapotec indigenous people located in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is a descendant from a long line of Zapotec shamans that date back to 500 B.C. Enriqueta owns and operates a health clinic for her community and international visitors. Her history as a practicing midwife for more than sixty years has yielded a flawless career with no mother or infant ever lost during the birth process.

Doña Enriqueta’s traditional temascal (ritual sweat bath) is an experience never to forget. To find out more about this experience go to our Zapotec Healing section.