Jewish Mexico: 500 Years Of Arrival And Survival

Very knowledgeable guide . We didn’t realize how much Jewish history is in Mexico. We enjoyed this a lot and will definitely recommend this to my friends

Our time with Max was time well spent. Max is an enthusiastic and deeply knowledgeable guide. His unfolding of the Jewish story in Mexico City is smartly interspersed with the history of Mexico City writ large. From the first recorded Jews in Mexico City to the culmination of the magnificent 20th century synagogue, Max covers it all.

Carlos begins the tour in a unique way--sitting in a cafe with a cup of coffee, talking, recounting thousands of years of history in order to explain when the Jews appear in the story. Unfortunately, the cafe he usually takes his group to was closed and we ended up in a loud, bustling restaurant where it was difficult to stay focused and listen to him. The highlights of the tour were the museum with Diego Rivera's murals and the two synagogues and learning about the religious reforms in Mexico.

Carlos was very knowledgeable and shared this in a very easy way. He took his time and answered our questions. We did the Jewish history tour but it was more than that and covered the history of Mexico. We came away from the tour with a very good undersatnding of the politics and cultural history of Mexica and Mexico city

Enjoyed this walking tour learning about historical buildings and architecture along with history of Jewish immigration and integration into México, however fact checking is advisable as number of discrepancies were present in factual history. I also sensed a bias against US and some personal political views expressed by Carlos that were not appropriate in this context of historical tour. He was considerate of his group abilities and allowed for questions. Glad I did this tour, but would not take all information at face value, also note that it can run over 3 hrs, ours was 3.5 hrs., so be prepared.

This was the most comprehensive, educational, and engaging tour we have ever taken. Carlos has been leading this particular tour for 17 years and has been guiding for even longer. He is exceptionally proud of his heritage and is a wealth of knowledge on everything from the ancient development of Mexico City, its Jewish history, its rich art culture, and the political structure. We learned about both the Safadi and Ashkenazi Jewish diasporas to the City and how the Jewish culture evolved over 5 centuries. We also the Diego Rivera murals and even learned of the Jewish symbolism portrayed in a couple of them. That was an added bonus for us. This tour was an excellent introduction for us on our first day in the City, and laid the foundation for everything else we saw in the subsequent days of our visit. Get to know Carlos as well. His story is fascinating.

Tour company canceled trip due to protest in the Zocalo. Wouldn’t refund only credit. How is that helpful if we weren’t going to be in Mexico City to use the credit and are not planning to come back. They are hiding behind the small print credit or refund. Don’t use them deceptive policy.

Our walking tour with Carlos was the highlight of our visit to Mexico City. Carlos is a walking historian; we learned so much. This is a MUST DO activity in Mexico City.

We were comfortable with his repeated, anti-American comments. Some of the history that he tells is his interpretation but stated as fact.

He does an excellent job of creating a meaningful and vivid timeline of the arrival of Jews in Mexico

This was an in depth tour of the history of the Jewish people of Mexico City. Our guide Carlos was engaging and articulate in explaining the history of the Jewish people and it was obvious that this tour had deep meaning to him. I highly recommend this tour.

We were most impressed with Carlos’ knowledge of the history of his country and the history of the Jews in his country. It was quite a history lesson from a proud Mexican. So many fascinating facts that we had never learned before. We came to a new appreciation of the Mexican people and their history.

This was a very mediocre tour. The guide was mediocre, the places visited were few, and the overall appreciation was " meh".

Our extremely knowledgeable and entertaining guide walked and talked us through the history of Jews in Mexico City from the Spanish Inquisition to the present. On the way we visited the Templo Mayor, Cathedral, a museum of murals and the restored Sephardic synogogue.

Great small group walking tour! Carlos, our guide was very informative, personable and professional. He made the whole tour so interesting. We all learned a lot about the history of Mexico and the Jewish migration from the 1500s to the present. Lots of fun facts.

Carlos was passionate and knowledgeable about the topic. We learned so much about the history of the Jews in Mexico and Mexican history as well. I would highly recommend this tour.

This was a wonderful Jewish history tour in Mexico City. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and presented the history with depth, clarity, and genuine passion. The tour was well paced and thoughtfully organized, blending historical facts with cultural and human stories that brought everything to life. I left with a much deeper understanding of Mexico City’s Jewish community and its role in the city’s history. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Jewish history or looking for a more meaningful experience in Mexico City.

Excellent historical perspective of the history of Mexico City, the religious background and the Jewish presence there. Interesting stops to point out physical representations of the history being discussed. Very knowledgeable tour leader

Engaging and informative Jewish history tour - deep history delivered in an approachable and friendly narrative.

Great guide. Very knowledgeable. Defintiley take this tour if you are interested in the Jewish history of Mexico! The best part was the fantastic hidden synagogue!.............................................................................................................................................................................

Carlos should NOT be giving tours of "Jewish" history in Mexico. My group was very disappointed and sad to have wasted a morning. I am a professor of history, and a significant amount of the historical and art historical information he conveyed was actually incorrect or even made up -- it was a bit shocking - what I would categorize as rather bizarre theories of conjecture. I don't mind that the guide was not Jewish himself, but the tour, frankly, was more or less a sham. He seems to know Mexican history, and is very proud of it - that is what he should stick to - but don't expect anything deeper. This is history according to Carlos... not experts in the field.

So interesting. The guide was able to answer all of our questions. He seems to enjoy the tour and guests so much which makes it even more fun. I was si impressed with what I learned. Highly recommend.

A great guide. He knew a wealth about the history of Mexico and the Jews in Mexico. We would recommend this to someone looking for a Jewish tour in Mexico.

Our guide was so knowledgeable. He was able to answer every question. It is clear that he is passionate about the subject matter and that made the experience even better no would take another tour with him in a heartbeat.

They cancelled at the last minute due to a health issue, which I understand, but I have yet to be reimbursed from the company. They offered to reschedule, but we had tickets for the Freida museum the next morning and they onlybdo tours in the am, and then we flew home the following day. Can you help me get my money back?

Guide didn’t show. Waiting for refund. Disappointed. Little response from Viator. Will not use again.

Carlos is an excellent guide who gave both the historical and modern perspectives on the Jewish community in Mexico.

Carlos was very knowledgeable and guided us on great tour. We learned about 19th and 20th century modern history of Mexico and the sweeping changes that Benito Juárez brought. We also learned about the different waves of Jewish immigration to Mexico. We learned about Rivera and Kahlo and their Jewish roots and enjoyed seeing Rivera murals at the education department building. Our last stop was at a synagogue where Carlos told us more about the families that built it during WWIi. The photographs and sanctuary were very moving. Thanks for a great experience Carlos.

We learned a lot about the Jewish history in Mexico City. Very interesting . Would definitely recommend

Carlos, who devised this tour & has been running it for many years, provided us with a super interesting & engaging perspective of Jewish heritage & history dating back 500 years in Mexico. Through many interesting facts he weaved together the story of the Jewish arrival to these shores & the story of their survival through the ages and into modernity. The tour is largely in Historical Center and so great introduction to the city's history as well. We got to visit a historical synagogue which was another highlight. Only complaint = wish tour was longer. Carlos is real historian with passion for the subject.

Carlos was one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable tour guides I have ever met! Not only due to the background and historical perspective he shared on the Jewish history of Mexico, but he was a wealth of knowledge on so many other aspects of Mexican history, and of which I was not aware. The 3 hours of the walking tour flew by, and I highly recommend this tour!

Carlos is very knowledgeable. The tour was fascinating. He answered all questions with a great attention and with a lot of details. Highly recommended!

Our Guide, Carlos, brought to life, the repercussions of centuries of fear and hatred. He made the history come to life as we walked the streets. He brought a personal touch by telling stories of his own life and heritage. Fascinating!

Carlos (?) our guide was 30 minutes late due to street closures from a protest, not a big deal but we should have skipped the coffee and chitchat since we were starting late. The tour was highly interesting, but a lot of the history pertained to Mexico/ Mexico City in general, not specifically Jewish history. Of the roughly 3.5 hours, the last hour or so was the best: seeing the gorgeous synagogue hidden behind the street facade and the visiting the Diego Rivera murals. Overall a good tour, just could have been shorter.

A very good tour that highlights both the Jewish experience in Mexico City and the general history of Mexico with an extremely knowledgeable guide.

This tour and specifically Carlos the guide were exceptional. Carlos delivered knowledge on Mexican, conquistador, Jewish, Spanish, monetary and mercantile history, while weaving this all into the Jewish story in Mexico. His level of knowledge was much deeper than your average tour guide and consequently the tour was far richer for it. He answered all our questions about the tour and so much more. He delivered the tour in a thoughtful and empathetic manner which was appreciated given the often heavy material around the Spanish Inquisition. Highly recommend this tour. Highly recommend spending time with Carlos.

They canceled the tour 2.5 hours beforehand by sending a message via Viator, with little explanation, except there was a marathon that day (which everyone knew). They didn’t even bother to try to contact me through any other means and I didn’t see it until I was at the meeting point. I went to message them and saw the cancellation notice and asked for an explanation and got no response. They didn’t even try to reschedule and I have yet to see a refund.

Really educational and enlightening. Carlos is a walking encyclopedia of Mexican history and a delightful and passionate tour guide

10/10 Carlos was incredible! He went above and beyond to ensure we had the best experience. We saw so much and learned a lot of history of Mexico and Jewish history in Mexico. It was very interesting and interactive. Not too much walking all at once which is nice and he ensured that all our questions were answered. Thank you and I highly recommend!

Carlos is a unique guide and an exceptional human. We expected a tour explaining the Jewish history of Mexico City. What Carlos delivered was a sweeping view of world history from the 14th Century to today, focusing on Mexico’s importance in the rise of the Spanish Empire’s power and wealth, the role of Jews in that rise, and the effects of the empire’s decline on Mexico and its Jews.

Met our guide at the bookstore and had a sit down coffee and a snack while he told us the history of the United Mexican States. Following the conversation we hit the streets while he pointed out historical sites. Very interesting and informative!

Carlos was an extremely knowledgeable, patient and pleasant guide. He had excellent and detailed responses to every question — and there were many. He truly helped us contextualize not only the Mexican Jewish presence and it’s multi-phases, but the Jewish influence in the region with converses as well as the general (paranoid) history of the Spanish Inquisition’s reach to the region. He also gave us great background on the impact of the Aztecs and Mexico on the early United Stares. An excellent and informative experience.

Carlos Sánchez was great. I loved the initial group coffee where he explained some basics of the city and important history. He also was able to answer any question that was thrown at him during the tour. I learned an incredible amount from Carlos. I definitely recommend the tour. 3. 5 hours flew by!

Although our guide, Carlos Sanchez, was knowledgeable we spent the first hour of the walking tour sitting with him in a coffee shop while he provided us with “context” for what we were going to see. When we signed up for a walking tour, we didn’t expect to spend so much time sitting before we were actually taken anywhere or shown anything. Also, Carlos smoked cigarettes throughout the walking portion of the tour - if you don’t want to be exposed to his second hand smoke, stay away from this tour or any others Mexunitours guided by Carlos.

Incredibly insightful and wildly informative tour from a well-researched lense. Carlos is a gem of a guide. Will come back again and again for unique, small, focused intellectual adventures.

Great tour with Andrea. She was very knowledgeable and explained a lot of history. Even with protesters/tent city in historic area she was able to lead us around and gave good recommendations for restaurants. Highlight of the trip was the Historic Synagogue…this is a must do for any Jewish traveler to Mexico City!

After having been lucky enough to have visited Mexico City 4X in recent years, we were searching for another layer to our experiences here. This tour added that to our knowledge & we enjoyed that very much. It was an interesting lens through which to learn about the city and country. I especially appreciated visiting the former synagogue & the site of the Inquisition in Mexico City. Carlos is an animated storyteller & very knowledgeable. Happy to recommend!

Carlos was fabulous! He gave us a lot of information and presented it very clearly. We learned a tremendous amount of Mexican history and how the Jews were woven into it. I would highly recommend this tour.

Carlos was our guide and he is amazing. He painted a picture of the history of the Jews in Mexico that was eye opening and remarkable. He then lead a tour of the city and related the sites to the often very difficult history of the Jews in the city. One of the most memorable tours I have been on . Highly recommended.