Dolores Hidalgo & Sanctuary Of Atotonilco

Catrina Tours' Diego was a spectacular guide for our group's visit to Dolores Hidalgo and the Atontonilco Sanctuary. Passionate about the stories so beautifully illustrated in both the Parroquia de la Asunción and in Atontonilco, Diego's extensive knowledge deepened our understanding of the sites we visited. This same passion inspired our walk through El Museo de la Independencia. We learned so much about the circumstances and personalities that led up to Mexico's long struggle for self government --- definitely time well spent. Returning to the present, our group also very much enjoyed exploring the town of Dolores Hidalgo. We visited a talavera pottery workshop (beautifully detailed work) and sampled award-winning ice creams from the Flor de Dolores cart in Jardin Principal --- arroz con leche, cajeta and beso de ángel were favorites! On the way back to San Miguel de Allende, late lunch at Santísima Trinidad's lovely open-air restaurant was another treat. Pick-up and drop-off were seamless. We highly recommend this Dolores Hidalgo excursion. Book with Diego!

We had a fantastic experience visiting both the Atotonilco Church (a must do if you're in San Miguel de Allende!) and Dolores Hidalgo, which is one of the most important cities in the history of Mexico's independence. The private tour was great and our guide, Javier, did a fantastic job accommodating our interests (seeing the churches and independence history sites / museums). Since we'd requested to leave a bit later in the day, we knew some museums would be closed, so we instead got a mini food tour to try some of the best tacos we've had (and some great ice cream!) based on Javier's excellent recommendations. We also appreciated that it was truly a half day tour (~4.5 hours, including drive time) and the scheduled was adhered to well. Highly recommend!

We had high expectations for our tour with Catrina Tours, and our guide Diego and driver Brian exceeded them! Diego is entertaining, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and regaled us with everything from details of Mexican independence (a special interest of my husband’s) to where to find the best carnitas tacos in Dolores Hidalgo to how the Catholic Church shared religious teachings with indigenous people of the area (art!). We enjoyed tasting a variety of ice creams including Michelada, cajeta, cactus berry, and tequila and visited a Talavera factory as well. The tour was a feast for the senses and an exploration of Mexican history and culture. Brian did a great job driving us through some crazy construction and traffic professionally and efficiently. Thanks for such a great experience!

I learned so much on this tour, not only because we visited historical sites, but because Diego, the guide, is so knowledgeable and skilled at relating events. We visited the parish church, the parque, a market, and a Talavera tile factory. We ate delicious street carnitas tacos and the ice cream that Delores Hidalgo is famous for making. And, because I was solo and had expressed an Interest in the local wineries, Diego made a stop along the way to Antotilico at a beautiful winery, Santisima Trinidad, where we had a wine tasting and charcuterie, while enjoying watching a black crowned night heron. It was an informative and lovely day!

Not only was the sightseeing spectacular but our guide Felipe truly made the difference! His knowledge and the way he shared it with us made us feel immersed in the history of Dolores and Atotonilco. They are an awesome team! Very punctual, great communication, professional and friendly. Thank you Felipe and our driver Fernando for transporting us safely. Taking another tour with the Catrina team today to a vineyard :) highly recommend and will definitely use on our next visit! Thank you all!

This is a amazing place when you are in Dolores Hidalgo, so worth the trip, and the personal tour was amazing... what great artisans.

We enjoyed such a nice day with our guide, Leo!! He was so well spoken and informative and intelligent and friendly!! The vehicle was spacious and comfortable and our driver was professional. Everything was on time, we enjoyed our visit, and lunch (carnitas) was super good!! We will absolutely book another tour with this company when we return, and we will ask for Leo. Thank you for a great day!!!

This was a great tour. It was a half day tour to Dolores and Atontonilco. Diego and his driver picked us up from the Rosewood at 9am. We are a family of four with 2 kids (9 and 7 years old) and we were picked up in a private/clean van. Diego speaks great english and he is very smart especially when it comes to Mexican/Religious history. We went straight to Dolores and he showed us the historical significance of the city. We walked to the mercado where he got us some fresh carnita tacos. The tacos were delicious. After we got some ice cream. The ice cream in Dolores is different since they have the strangest flavors of Ice Creams like avocado, ceviche, bean. Since the tour was private, I asked Diego to skip a few things so we can visit the Jose Alfredo Jimenez house and tomb. He is my favorite mexican singer/songwriter and even if you are not into marachi music, I am confident you have heard some of his music. This was truly the highlight of the trip for me especially his house/museum. After we went to the town of Atotonilco where Diego bought us some sopes/gorditas from a local street vendor. I don't believe food was included in this trip but Diego treated us to tacos, sopes, and ice cream. We visited the church which was amazing. After Diego dropped us off around 3p and the tour was over. Diego is great and I guarantee you will not go wrong with any of his tours. Highly recommend.

Our tour with Angie was great! We had a really awesome day and got to see several different and interesting places and sights. The pickup, transportation, and overall coordination were very convenient. Our guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable and had great insight into the landmarks and Mexican history. They were also very flexible and accommodating of our goals for the tour and time at each area. Getting to sample the local food in Dolores Hidalgo was a highlight as well!

Beautiful and exquisite gem of Miguel De Allende Sanctuary of Atotonilco: Mexico’s Sistine Chapel. The hand painted walls and ceiling are breathtaking.

While we enjoyed Dolores, we really enjoyed the small town of Atotonilco and the Sanctuary. It is is one of the oldest churches in Mexico and it is so well maintained. While it is small, the artwork and murals are just outstanding and so impressive.

Beautiful little town with a big history. Our guide, Angie, was awesome! She took us to the best carnitas and ice cream carts in town.

My host Israel was amazing and gave me a great tour of Dolores Hidalgo and Atotonlico with great stops along the way in the town and amazing insight into the culture and history of Mexico. The driver was excellent and provided a smooth ride as well. Would recommend very highly for anyone looking to take a day trip out of San Miguel de Allende!

Felipe was amazing. He is gifted. Fantastic excursion. A lot to learn and on which to meditate. Nora

Our tour guide Felipe was very well documented and knowledgeable about the history of the sites we visited, the history of his home state and the history of mexico. He was able to take us back in time and provide important insights. He was also very passionate about the topics he explained and caught our attention immediately. A gifted storyteller. He was also vey knowledgeable of church and sacred related topics. His description of Atotonlico’s sanctuary was amazing. The tour was definitely worth it as our guide and our driver were always very kind and accommodating to our needs. We wanted to give our children the opportunity to experience Mexico’s independence story up close and to get to know these two destinations with a little more context than what you get by just visiting, and this tour was simply perfect. Guide was always asking us if we wanted to focus in any specific item or activity (ie shopping, etc) and was willing to accomodate to our needs. It definetely felt like a private tour! If you want to understand the history behind these two sites, this tour is definetely a fantastic option.

On Sunday, July 16, we had booked the Dolores Hidalgo & Sanctuary of Atotonilco tour. We were picked up at our hotel in San Miguel promptly and met our amazing guide, Alfredo. Unbeknownst to Alfredo, we had visited Atotonilco the day prior on a different tour which made the unplanned stop to kill time before our winery visit. Alfredo did not flinch when asked to alter our itinerary and provided us with an amazing tour of Delores Hidalgo with some extras thrown in for good measure. Alfredo was the best and the Delores Hidalgo tour is a must to learn all about the history of Mexico’s fight for independence while enjoying the famous ice cream and learning about the large ceramics industry there. A stop for a glass of wine on the way back to the hotel was the perfect ending of our tour.

This place is awesome and so spiritual. You can see the Bible depicted in paintings. It was well worth the drive into the country, although it’s only about 14 km from San Miguel.

Leo was an amazing tour guide! He had extensive knowledge of the history of every location we visited, and was great at recommending local spots that were a must see.

Luis was a wonderful host on this tour. We walked the beautiful city of Dolores Hidalgo and saw the breathtaking sanctuary at Atotonilco. We learned so much that we never learned in the USA.

The sanctuary at Atololnico was magnificent and the ice cream was great. WE enjoyed learning all the history os the Independence movement.

I really enjoyed getting out of San Miguel for a day and having a taste of an authentic Mexican town. Also learned a lot about the history of Mexico from my knowledgeable guide. My only suggestion is to ask in advance if guests would like to sample local street or market food. We did and it was one if the high lights of the day!

The tour guide was so knowledgeable! We were picked up and dropped off -door to door - which was quite convenient for us. The tour included a variety of experiences: tours to the churches, ice cream tasting, wine tasting and explanations of the culture and beautiful variations in this country of Mexico.

We needed a driver and tour guide last minute and these guys really came through for us. We went to Dolores Hidalgo and the Sanctuary of Atotonilco but we did so much more! We first went to a lavender collective that empowers local women. We had a tour of the operation and loved it. Granted the road there was super bumpy but Brandon made it as smooth as he could. Next we went to Dolores Hidalgo where we got a great tour and explaination of the primary church then got to taste several cool ice cream flavors before we all got avocado! Then a walk around the history museum, a bit of a wine tasting and a tour of a pottery factory! Last but not least was a stop at the lovely Sistine Chapel of Mexico. Our guide was Luis, our driver Brandon and we highly recommend them.

Our guide, Alejandro, was patient and deeply informed about the history of the town and the buildings in both Dolores HIdalgo and Atotonilco. My small group enjoyed the day and we all felt we learned another layer about Mexican history. We loved the reknowned tasting the unusual ice cream flavors in the Jardin at Dolores HIdalgo!

Our trip to Hidalgo was a very pleasant and enriching experience. This state surprised us by the beauty of its natural landscapes, from mountains and basaltic prisms to villages with great tradition and charm. It was a perfect destination to live with the family, enjoy the outdoors and learn more about the local culture. During the visit we toured magical villages, tasted typical cuisine such as pastes and regional cravings, and enjoyed the warmth of its people. Hidalgo combines tranquility, history and nature, making it an excellent destination for a family trip, ideal for disconnecting from the routine and creating unforgettable memories.

An unmissable trip due to so much history that these places have, in addition to their delicious dishes and landscapes.

Very nice place, we take advantage of Holy Week to visit it, in general the Church is very well, a must stop if you visit Dolores Hidalgo.

Excellent, very attentive and the guide very knowledgeable of history. He also took us to know other areas such as ceramic factories and we were pleased with the visit to the house of Jose Alfredo Jimenez, which was not an original part of the tour. Highly recommended.