FRIDA KAHLO'S MEXICO 
 with LA VELA SANDUGA FESTIVAL 

Thanks to Chloë's decades-long friendships with artisanal families, you will be welcomed to small but renowned workshops of textile, arts, and crafts excellence. These are rarely on tourist radars; you can look forward to warm smiles, an unhurried interaction, in depth explanations and demos. Often you will be invited afterwards to the family table for a breaking of fresh tortillas.  As good as travel gets!

Curated visits with award-winning makers and designers in backstrap and treadle loom weaving, tapestry-woven rugs, ikat-patterned rebozos, natural dyeing, embroidery and more. In short, we explore every textile art that Frida Kahlo featured in her repository of beloved Mexican cultural heritage. 

To visit the kitchen at Casa Azul is to pay homage to ceramic art created by the indigenous peoples of Mexico, whose hard work and talent Frida greatly admired. Visit renowned ceramists for the source of Frida's inspiration, and who in turn are empowered by Frida's embrace of indigenous artistic skills. 

In more than 55 self-portraits, Frida Kahlo allows the observer to see what mattered to her: she put the spotlight firmly on silver jewellery when gold was considered more stylish.  Tin was a favourite collectible. In Taxco we will visit award winning silver artisans who use  a variety of techniques such as stamping and engraving to create the design and decoration reminiscent of Frida Kahlo's jewellery and collectibles. 

Frida Kahlo's paintings often incorporated pre-Columbian imagery and motifs, including those related to 5th BCE Monte Albán. Some earrings and necklaces worn by Frida Kahlo, were reproductions of ancient Zapotec silverwork found in Monte Albán's 7th tomb. We will visit this culturally and historically significant site for a glimpse at what inspired Frida.

Evening lectures by trip leader, Chloë Sayer. Chloë is a sought-after internationally recognised speaker on Mexican history, textiles, arts, crafts, festivals, and culture. Recipient of numerous awards including the Mexican govt.'s Ohtli Medal. From past travellers: "The lectures Chloë gave added immeasurably to my appreciation of what I was seeing. Timely and in-depth without being too academic. A tour highlight!"

Frida Kahlo loved dressing in Tehuana style, as shown in her many self-portraits and photographs. As honoured guests during La Vela Sandunga festival on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, we will appreciate the very finest embroidered Tehuana clothing and enjoy music, dancing, food and drink to mark an unforgettable journey. You will be invited to dress in Tehuana style for greater immersion in this vibrant event. 

We are excited about a new Frida Kahlo museum, Museo Casa Kahlo, featuring photographs, dolls, jewelry, clothing, and letters from Kahlo's childhood. We will viist Casa Azul, of course, and several Diego Rivera museums for murals, newly opened ethnographic galleries at the Anthropology Museum, and the outstanding Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) to meet with renowned papier-máché artisan. 

The beating pulse of any traditional community, also the best place to imbibe local flavour. Start with a foray to buy your Tehuana ensemble for the La Vela Sanduga Festival. Shop the great market in Juchitán de Zaragoza, enjoy a lunch served by a local Frida look-alike celebrity in Ocotlán de Morelos, and drop in at a Sunday market where makers sell a vast range of rebozos. This is only for starters . . . there's much more!

Venture beyond Oaxaca and Mexico City to Taxco for silversmithing, Tehuantepec for vibrant embroidery, the fishing village of San Mateo del Mar for a unique textile tradition, Teotitlán for fine woollen tapestry-woven rugs, Ocotlán de Morelos for cohineal farms, and Tenancingo de Degollado for rebozos. Each town is a fount of creativity and talent. 

A given on every E.Y.H.O. tour . . .  we are huge foodies! We will introduce you to how locals eat, in a safe and hygienic way. Meals with local artisan families and roadside eateries for a culinary immersion. Explore exciting trends in indigenous Oaxacan cuisine, award-winning chefs, as well as stylish Mexico City dining spots. The food on this tour is one of many highlights!