Join Discover Baja and Baja Custom Tours on a wonderful adventure to Mata Ortiz, Mexico! This six-day trip will take place from September 24-29, 2014. Trip will start and end in San Diego.

This trip is full of treasures—ancient ruins, newly discovered caverns, unique handcrafted pottery, and always, the wonderful Mexican people.  It is hard not to become enchanted with the village of Mata Ortiz and its warm, compassionate, talented people.  It is home to the legendary Juan Quezada – the magnificent artist and humble teacher who has discovered the lost secrets of this special type of pottery making and has taught them to the people in his village. You’ll meet local pottery artists, learn about the pottery process, watch the artists making their pottery in action, and of course get the opportunity to purchase some of the wares to take home with you. In addition to experiencing the pottery scene in Mata Ortiz, you’ll have the opportunity to visit ancient petroglyphs and cave dwellings at Cueva de la Olla, and see the Paquime Archaeological Zone, ruins of a civilization from the 1200s. On the way back from Mexico, a stop at the Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona will be sure to amaze!

This will be a perfect opportunity to buy gifts and either start or add to your own collection of Mata Ortiz pottery.  These works of art will only increase in value as Mata Ortiz becomes better known throughout the world.  Visit the village now while it is still relatively untouched.

We will travel in Baja Custom Tours’ comfortable 11-passenger van.  We will caravan to Arizona and then south into Mexico to Mata Ortiz.  We will make plenty of rest stops throughout the trip.  Accommodations are chosen for comfort and accessibility.

We hope you can join us on this adventure to find treasures. Since we need space to pack our pottery, seating is limited.  To reserve your space, please call Discover Baja at 800-727-2252 or email ask@discoverbaja.com

ITINERARY:

DAY ONE (Wednesday, September 24th):  We have a lot of ground to cover today, so we’ll need to get an early start!  Meet at Discover Baja at 7am.  We’ll hop into Baja Custom Tours’ 11-passenger van and head to Arizona, stopping for lunch at the famous Space Age Café.  There will be plenty of rest stops as we proceed to the old mining town of Bisbee where we will do some exploring, have dinner and spend the night at the famous Copper Queen Hotel.

DAY TWO (Thursday, September 25th):  An early morning tour of the copper mine at Bisbee is an option for beginning the day.  After obtaining our vehicle permits at Aqua Prieta, we’ll continue our trip into mainland Mexico.  We’ll pass through one of the few remaining areas in the North American continent where prairie dogs can be found.  We’ll have lunch in the town of Nuevo Casas Grandes, a beautiful agricultural area with gently sloping hills.  Then we’ll continue to our motel in Mata Ortiz, where we’ll have dinner and spend the night.

DAY THREE (Friday, September 26th):  After breakfast, we’ll begin our shopping extravaganza, visiting the homes of many potters, who create exquisite works of art.  Pottery in Mata Ortiz has become an important cottage industry and local potters still work without the use of wheels or kilns.  To fire the pots, they place them within a fire usually, made of cow patties, that is set to harden the clay.  Throughout the town, home of the legendary potter Juan Quezada, we’ll have the opportunity to visit with the potters and buy their crafts.  We’ll go back to our motel, have dinner and celebrate after a great day of shopping.

DAY FOUR (Saturday, September 27th):  Breakfast at the motel will be followed by either more shopping for those “die-hard shop-til-you-droppers” or a unique and awesome excursion to the petroglyphs and cave dwellings in the local mountains and a dirt road/crawl up mountains/cross small rivers trip to the Cueva de la Olla – thank goodness we have 4 Wheel Drive!  We’ll have dinner at the motel and a sharing of the day’s adventures.

DAY FIVE (Sunday, September 28th):  After breakfast, we will have a few hours for some last minute shopping.  We’ll enjoy an early lunch, then load up the van with our beautiful treasures and drive to the Paquime Archaeological Zone where we’ll explore the remnants of a civilization that thrived in the early 1200’s.  This area, once inhabited by 2,200 people named the Paquime, is filled with ruins that were once homes, wells and gathering areas.  After we’re finished touring the area, we’ll continue our journey and cross the border back into the United States.  Keep your eyes peeled for a wild bison herd reportedly in the area by the border.  We will spend the night at the Landmark Lookout Lodge in the Wild West town of Tombstone!

DAY SIX (Monday, September 29th):  Up for an early breakfast so we can make it to our early tour of Kartchner Caverns State Park where we’ll explore these underground “living caves.”  These caverns, although recently discovered, are a product of an underground sea that formed 330 million years ago.  The caverns are referred to as “living” because of the exquisite and colorful formations that continue to grow.  After our tour we will drive back to San Diego arriving at Discover Baja in the late afternoon.

COST:  $1,295 for Discover Baja members; $1,395 for nonmembers (Rates based on double occupancy. A single supplement of $320 will be added)

INCLUDES:  Guided trip from San Diego to Mata Ortiz, Mexico.  Visit to Paquime Archeological Zone, guided tour of Mata Ortiz and Kartchner Caverns, five nights hotel accommodations, all meals..

NOT INCLUDED:  Mexican Tourist Card (which can be purchased for $35 at DISCOVER BAJA, or purchased at a Mexican Immigration Office.  Please purchase before our trip.) Shopping money, tips for Mexican guides.

For questions or to book a reservation, please contact Discover Baja at ask@discoverbaja.com or 800-727-2252

Click here for more Mata Ortiz photos!