Sprawling beaches and adrenaline-soaked water sports may be the main draws for coastal Mexico, but the region also brims with archaeological treasures, rich Mayan culture, vibrant performing and fine arts venues, and a culinary scene that takes advantage of the coast’s abundance of fresh, local ingredients.
There are myriad ways visitors can partake of these cultural offerings. Following are eight great experiences that can be tailored for groups.
Capella Pedregal Culinary Classes, Los Cabos
For a true taste of Baja fresh, Capella Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas offers culinary classes in a traditional Mexican kitchen as well as visits to a local farmers market.
There are a variety of cooking classes that teach participants how to make Mexican standbys such as tamales, salsa and ceviche, as well as how to use ingredients such as Mexican chiles. Iron Chef- style competitions can also be created for groups upon request, with the option of enlisting the resort’s chefs as judges.
Classes are taught by Capella Pedregal’s chefs, including Executive Chef Yvan Mucharraz, who trained under chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., and also worked under Spanish chef Juan Mari Arzak, considered the godfather of modern Basque cuisine, at his restaurant in Mexico City.
“The culinary classes at Capella Pedregal offer a remarkable opportunity for meeting groups to bond and also receive an in-depth look into traditional Mexican cooking and Baja cuisine,” Mucharraz says. “We can always custom-create classes according to the needs and interests of each group.”
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Coba Mayaville Tour, Riviera Maya
Alltournative Eco-Archaeological Expeditions, based in the Riviera Maya, recently debuted the Coba Mayaville cultural experience, which spends a day visiting the Coba archaeological site as well as Mayan villages and families.
Groups can customize the tour, which normally spends two hours at Coba, featuring ancient Mayan temples, as well as the Nohoch Muul pyramid, the tallest in the Yucatan Peninsula.
“After our ancestral Mayan journey, we will transfer to the Mayan contemporary villages of Laguna Chabela and Tres Reyes,” says Cynthia Lazo, a company representative. “Groups will enjoy and have a connection with the unique place inside the rain forest with a local lunch, a Mayan purification with a shaman, a visit to the Mayan descendants at the community of Esmeralda, and a demonstration of the extraction of Mayan gum.”
Chicle latex, found in the Yucatan’s Chicozapote tree, was used by the Mayan people for generations to keep teeth clean and ease digestion.
Alltournative can offer private group tours for up to 150.
Maya Museum of Cancun
The Maya Museum of Cancun, designed by Alberto Garcia Lascurain, showcases more than 350 ancient Mayan artifacts in its three 4,400-square-foot exhibition halls. Some of the highlights of the museum, which debuted in 2012, include 14,000-year-old Mayan remains discovered in the underwater caves of Tulum.
Groups can tour the various exhibition rooms of the museum, one of which houses the 10,000-year-old remains of La Mujer de las Palmas (The Woman of the Palms), which were found in an underground cave of the same name in 2002.
The Sala Maya showcases aspects of Mayan architecture, art and other artifacts that ancient Mayans used on a daily basis. Sculptures and architectural fragments of Chichen Itza and a collection of ancient engraved bricks from the city of Comalcalco in Tabasco are also on display.
Groups can organize tours of the Maya Museum, as well as visit the recently opened San Miguelito archeological site next to the museum, which was inhabited more than 800 years ago.
Vallarta Food Tours, Puerto Vallarta
To get a true taste of Puerto Vallarta, Vallarta Food Tours offers group visits to multiple food-tasting locations that highlight the best flavors of the region.
“Food tours are a wonderful way for people to explore not only the local foods and areas of a city, but the people and culture as well,” says Lindsay Prime, owner of Vallarta Food Tours. “We recently had an incentive group of 30 on our tour. They were in town just for a few days and chose our food tour in lieu of traditional canopy-type tours as their activity, a trend we are seeing more of.”
Groups can sample cuisine at family-owned restaurants and stands, taste Vallarta’s best mole enchiladas and traditional ceviche tostadas, visit a tortilla factory and taco stands, as well as sample traditional drinks and regional candies.
“All of our tasting locations are family owned, so guests usually get to meet the owners and chefs at each stop,” Prime says.
Huichol Indian Encounter, Riviera Nayarit
To experience the indigenous Huichol Indian culture, groups staying in the Riviera Nayarit region north of Puerto Vallarta can visit an ethnic group still living a pre-Colombian lifestyle in the Sierra Madre mountains.
The tour starts with a stop at the old fishing village of Rincon de Guayabitos before climbing 3,000 feet into the mountains to visit a Huichol village with a population of 130. Groups will learn about the Huichol beliefs and culture, including Huichol costumes, music and dance.
DMCs can organize the visits, according to Richard Zarkin, public relations manager of the Riviera Nayarit CVB.
“The CVB is also able to arrange special visits and opportunities. For example, for the opening of the Iberostar Playa Mita in December, a group from a Huichol community was invited to do the blessing and have the Marakame [shaman] do cleanses.”
The CVB can also have performers from the state ballet dressed in Huichol traditional clothes as hosts.
Angela Peralta Theater, Mazatlan
Located in Mazatlan’s Centro Historico, the Angela Peralta Theater is one of the city’s most historic attractions. Completed in 1874 and originally dubbed the Rubio Theater for the merchant who inspired its construction, the venue was later renamed in memory of opera star Angela Peralta, who died in 1883 from a yellow fever epidemic that was ravaging the city.
By the 1960s, the theater was falling into disrepair, but a preservation effort resulted in its reopening in the early ’90s. Today, the theater presents contemporary dance as well as events like the Mazatlan Cultural Festival and Sinaloa Arts Festival.
Groups can organize cocktail parties in two spaces: the mezzanine as well as the lobby, according to Teresa Letamendi Patron, director of tourism development, secretary of tourism of Sinaloa.
“They don’t do the catering, but in Mazatlan we have companies that can provide the service. Also, if the theater is not scheduled, they can do a special performance for the groups, or they can do it in Machado Square, which is near the theater.”
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Temazcal at Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, Riviera Maya
The intense heat of a Mayan temazcal (a type of sweat lodge) can be experienced as a group at a number of Mexico’s coastal resorts, including Barcelo Maya Beach Resort in the Riviera Maya.
“Staying true to its native roots, Barcelo Maya Beach Resort offers an oversized version of a traditional Mayan temazcal, a sacred sweat lodge facility and spiritual ritual that is believed by Mayan people to cleanse and purify the mind, body and soul,” says Stefania Ballotta, sales and marketing director for Barcelo Maya Beach Resort.
The ritual is held in a circular stone hut, in which a medicinal tea made of Mayan herbs grown in the resort’s on-site garden is poured over hot stones to create a purifying steam, according to Ballotta. The ritual is completed with a cleansing wash under the night sky.
“Whereas a typical temazcal hut is very small, our oversized facility makes it easier for larger groups to enjoy the temazcal experience together in a more comfortable setting,” Ballotta says.
House of Winds, Acapulco
Last September, Acapulco opened the iconic House of Winds mansion as a cultural center. The venue once served as the home of Dolores Olmedo, a close friend of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and collector of his work, and was also the location where Rivera spent the last years of his life.
The National Council of Culture and Arts and the Carlos Slim Foundation purchased the House of Winds with the intention of using the space to promote the destination’s cultural riches, including art exhibits and performing arts.
“This new cultural center is one of many efforts being made in Acapulco’s Traditional Zone and aims to promote the destination’s cultural offerings that will benefit both locals and travelers alike,” said Guerrero State Gov. Angel Aguirre Rivero in a statement to celebrate its opening. mf
Marlene Goldman is a freelance writer and photographer who has immersed herself in coastal Mexico culture, from Mayan village tours to a mescal tasting or two.
