International Tour: Hands-on Mexican Jewelry Design experience (San Miguel de Allende)

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself into the Mexican culture. The Tour will be focused on seeing the cities of San Miguel De Allende, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, and much more. Also there will be a 2 hour workshop of Matthew’s innovative techniques for jewelry design. Whether you are looking to expand your horizons and try something new, or you want to take your jewelry making to the next level, Matthew will be your personal guide through the sketching, designing, and creating process. With many years of knowledge and experience, Matthew will show you how to incorporate the beauty of your surroundings, whether it is the local plant life, or architecture to inspire you. The first trip February 2023 was an amazing success! We are working on the details for the February and March 2024 trip. As of now the dates of the 2024 tour are February 11 to February 18 and February 25 to March 3. All other details, cost, and the expanded itinerary will be posted to this site. If you want to be put on the contact list for the 2024 trip please click on the "put me on the list" button below and I will email you with the details as soon as I have them ready. Below is the itinerary for the amazing trip that was February 2023.

Please contact Matthew for more information.

Sunday February 12 / Day 1: We leave Detroit at 6:30a and fly to Mexico where we arrive at 1p. Eduardo, our private driver, will pick up everyone from any of three local airports. We will meet in the center of town in the evening at El Jardin (the Garden) and have dinner at one of its courtyard garden restaurants. After dinner, we will take a stroll around the historic city and enjoy the sounds of Mariachi bands.

Monday February 13 / Day 2: We will meet at El Jardin for Breakfast. We will start the day with a 4-hour walking tour and lunch of historical downtown San Miguel De Allende with our private tour guide Horacio. The sidewalks and streets are cobblestone, so please bring good walking shoes and a walking stick. After the tour, we will take a siesta because we are all old. Then we will meet at El Jardin and have dinner.

Tuesday February 14 / Day 3: We will meet at El Jardin for breakfast. Then, we will walk to the Galleria San Francisco and meet Rhoda Draws (yes, that is her real legal name.) She will give us a lesson on urban street drawing and take us to inspiring places to draw the amazing architecture of San Miguel. We will stop for lunch at a local restaurant, and then it is siesta time! After our siesta, I will give a hands on workshop on how I design inspiring jewelry. Then we will all meet for dinner at an amazing restaurant. After dinner we are on our own to explore the sights.

Wednesday February 15 / Day 4: Breakfast is on your own this morning, I recommend walking down to the market for fresh fruit, coffee, and some of the local delicious Arroz Con Leche (mexican rice oatmeal.) At 9:00 am we will meet at El Jardin and head out with Horacio our tour guide to Cañada de la Virgen the Pyramid Temples in San Miguel De Allende to explore the ruins and learn about the history of the area. We will arrive back at 1:00 and you are on you for lunch and you siesta time, The we will meet at 5:00 at the Teatro Santa Ana to listen and watch an amazing Classical Guitar player named Miguel. After the show we will meet at El Jardin and have Dinner.

Thursday February 16 / Day 5: Have breakfast on your own early, then we will meet at El Jardin at 8:45 am and head out with Horacio to Guanajuato. This is where silver was first discovered in Mexico. It is also the birthplace of the artist Diego Rivera. We will also see the Guanajuato mummies. It is an amazing city that has a European ambiance. In Guanajuato we will also be getting a behind the scenes look a Mexican Jewelry workshop where they make handmade jewelry that is inspired by Mexican Rosaries. We will get back late in the day so you will be on your own for dinner. Then, we will make our way to the Teatro Angela Peralta to watch a Mexican Flamenco show (which is different than a Spanish Flamenco show.)

Friday February 17 / Day 6: In the morning, we will meet at El Jardin for breakfast followed by a walking tour of the local jewelers and the Arte Instituto. Then we will make our way to a local Jewelers home where we will have traditional Mexican lunch and learn how he makes classic Mexican braided leather bracelets that you will take home. Then it is siesta time again! At 6:00 we will go to the home of Bill and Howard for a before dinner party. Bill and Howard moved to San Miguel De Allende after they retired in the US. Their home is like a museum and they love to give tours of the property. They are both amazing individuals who have given so much to the people of San Miguel. After Bill and Howards we will go to dinner at an amazing restaurant in the center of town. It will be a terrific evening.

The tour will not include Airfare. The two major airports are Leon Guanajuato (BJX) , and Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO). The airfare cost is typically $600 USD from most cities in the United States. Dallas, Texas is the exception because most flights stop in Dallas and then go directly to one of the two airports close to San Miguel. The tour will not include the hotel or Airbnb. A list of local Airbnb's that I recommend based on your needs will be available as we get closer to the tour date. The cost of the Airbnb's are from $35 USD to $175 USD per night. The tour will not include travel insurance so when you buy your Airfare ticket check YES when asked "do you want to buy insurance". If you have an accident in Mexico your health insurance in the United State of America will probably not pay for those services. Not all the meals are included with the tour. The meals that we have as a group will be included on designated days so we are not struggling to divide a bill by 12 people :). The cost of the trip will include Ground transportation to and from the airport, the daily tours, transportations for the tours, admission to the museums, the group classes, and one week of sunshine!