Mexico City is the vibrant and exciting capital city of Mexico and a popular tourist destination that delivers non-stop surprises. What many Americans don’t realize is that Mexico City has its own rich Jewish heritage and that custom Jewish heritage tours to Mexico offer amazing insights into Mexican Jewish history and modern culture!
Mexico City at a Glance
Mexico City is the most populous city in North America and is a global financial and cultural center. The city has a reputation for being hot, but due to its high altitude (more than 7,000 feet above sea level), Mexico City enjoys a pleasant climate for much of the year. Even during the hottest months of April and May, the mean daily temperature tops out at 20℃ or 68℉. Unless there’s an unexpected heat wave, you’ll love taking part in Jewish walking tours of Mexico City. While winters can sometimes be cold, they are much gentler than many American states.
Mexico City is just a 5 hours flight from New York and is a welcoming place for Americans. There’s a superb selection of luxury hotels and a modern Western infrastructure, and the city is generally safe for tourists, especially if you travel with a professional tour company. Custom Jewish heritage tours to Mexico City are a great adventure, and a unique opportunity to explore both Jewish culture and Mexico City’s museums, galleries and amazing architecture.
The Jewish Community in Mexico City
The first Jews to arrive in Mexico were the Conversos (also called Marranos of Crypto-Jews). They were forcible converts to Catholicism who came to the New World in 1519 to escape the Inquisition. As Mexico adopted religious tolerance in the 19th century, Yiddish speaking Ashkenazim from Europe came to Mexico in search of a better life. They were joined by Jewish immigrants from Syria and other provinces of the Ottoman Empire.
Jewish immigration to Mexico accelerated again towards the end of WW1 and the community prospered, building schools, synagogues, newspapers and other cultural institutions. Nobody agrees exactly how many Jews there are in Mexico today – or exactly who qualifies as a Jew – but the highest estimate is 100,000. Three quarters of Mexican Jews live in Mexico City itself (most others are in Monterrey and Guadalajara).
Unlike most Jewish communities in the diaspora, the Mexican community is gradually growing. Many US Jews will be surprised by the obvious cultural and religious differences that remain between Mexican Jews of Sephardic origin and their Ashkenazi counterparts (all of whom also identify as Mexican). When you experience Jewish cultural travel in Mexico as part of an organized tour, you’ll get a chance to meet some really interesting people and get some special insights into the rich local Jewish cultures and traditions.
What to See on Custom Jewish Heritage Tours to Mexico
Mexico City is a big place and it can be a bit bewildering for first time visitors, especially if they don’t speak Spanish. When you sign up for an organized Mexico City tour as part of a Jewish travel group, you can relax and leave the travel arrangements and daily logistics to your travel company. Gil Travel has years of practical experience providing Jewish cultural travel in Mexico and has a lot of friends and contacts in the city’s various Jewish community organizations – and in the wider (non-Jewish) Mexican tourist industry.
You can design a customized tour itinerary around your own personal interests and priorities. Obvious choices include local synagogues and historical sites, but there are also plenty of Jewish community events that welcome guests from abroad, as well as sporting events and kosher food tours. Mexico City has some great opportunities for bargain and souvenir hunting, as well as high end luxury shopping.
When you begin your tour, you’ll quickly get to know your private guides (selected for their language skills and detailed local knowledge) and they will arrange exclusive access to Jewish sites and locations as well as recommending the latest kosher eateries. If you want to adapt your itinerary, or visit the theater or cinema, or want to dig deeper into a cultural or historical interest, your guide will help out. Luxury Jewish travel in Mexico is a real delight and is also safe and convenient, with approved luxury accommodations, vetted drivers and full security for all travelers.
Some Recommendations for a Tailor-Made Tour
One of the most popular Jewish sites in Mexico City is the beautiful Nidje Israel Synagogue (Justo Sierra 71) which was founded in 1922. The design of the Ashkenazi shul was inspired by an historical synagogue in Siauliai (Shavel) Lithuania. When you visit the Nidje Israel Synagogue, your guide can take you around the local area known as the Zócalo where many Jewish immigrants used to live and work.
The Abelardo Rodríguez market, the old school of San Ildefonso, and the Loreto garden and its Manuel Tolsá fountain are all within easy walking distance. It’s easy to catch a glimpse of how the historical Mexico City must have looked as you stroll the neighborhood. For all that Mexico City is a big, noisy and bustling city, there are many oases of calm and tranquility to explore at your leisure.
The Monte Sinaí Synagogue (83 Justo Sierra St) was built in 1918 by Levantine Jews and is just a few blocks from its Ashkenazi counterpart the Nidje Israel. The Monte Sinaí doesn’t look like much from the outside, but appearances can be deceptive. The interior is beautifully crafted and ornately decorated in traditional Middle Eastern designs, including carvings of fruit and an exquisitely painted domed ceiling. Another popular destination is the Museum of Memory and Tolerance which makes an important contribution to Holocaust education and awareness in Mexico.
A visit to Mexico City could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore one of the great cities of the Americas. Although you’ll naturally be focused on visiting Jewish sites and meeting members of the community, it would be a real shame to miss out on any of the city’s world famous historical sites and cultural treasures. It’s easy to spend weeks checking out everything that Mexico City has to offer, but there are a few “must see” sites.
- Chapultepec Castle
- Palacio de Bellas Artes (art museum)
- Museo Nacional de Arte
- Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Templo Mayor
When you plan a custom itinerary with Gil Travel, you can strike the perfect balance between modern culture and art, pre-Columbian era historical sites, nature reserves and parks – and of course – amazing Mexican cuisine.
Mexico – A Mouth Watering Culinary Adventure
One of our Mexican Jewish friends described Mexico City as a place where you spread handmade guacamole on your hand-rolled bagel. Mexican Food is superb and Jewish food is delicious. When you combine the two, you have one of the world’s great culinary adventures. Mexican Jewish food is mainly influenced by Sephardic, Levantine and Ashkenazi traditions, with a few random French, Turkish and other Jewish influences. It’s also been heavily influenced by Spanish, indigenous American, Mexican and other global cuisines.
If your idea of heaven is a gourmet food tour of a foreign country, your tour guides will see that you experience the very best that Mexico City can offer. One Passover specialty is Matzoquiles (think matzah brei topped with salsa, guacamole and queso). There are also some amazing local variations of Mizrachi tabbouleh and babaganoush, sometimes spiced up with locally grown chilis.
Kosher salamis can be an important ingredient in enchiladas and spicy Mexican meat. Your tour guides have up-to-date knowledge of the best kosher restaurants, delis and street food and will introduce you to all kinds of tasty dishes. You’ll also get a chance to sample Mexican beers, wines and mezcals. Mexicans take food and drink seriously and are extremely hospitable.
Plan a Jewish Cultural Travel Tour to Mexico City
Gil Travel is an expert at organizing Jewish travel tours to locations around the world and has a lot of experience when it comes to arranging luxury Jewish travel in Mexico and Central America. Mexico is a wonderfully warm and welcoming country and has a surprisingly rich, vibrant – and varied – Jewish heritage. If you haven’t visited Mexico before, you’ll be amazed by the sheer variety and contrasts that you’ll experience. Mexico already had complex civilizations centuries before the first Europeans arrived and there are traces of history everywhere you look.
The exchange rate is also highly favorable for Americans. The Mexican peso has fluctuated between 16-17 MXN to the US dollar in 2024, and the cost of living is generally quite cheap in Mexico. You can expect to really spoil yourself when you eat out or go for a drink without breaking the bank. The other advantage is accessibility – Mexico City is a relatively short flight from most US airports, at least compared to Israel or Europe. Mexicans are also used to dealing with American tourists and there are few cultural clashes or misunderstandings.
If you want to create a customized tour of Mexico City’s Jewish sites or create a luxury Jewish travel itinerary in Mexico itself, talk to Gil Travel today. We can help you plan a small tour for family or close friends, or a big group tour for a synagogue congregation or a social group or club.
