Cities of Silver: Santiago de Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato

Cities of Silver: Santiago de Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato

$3850 pp/double occupancy        $4400 pp/single occupancy

$1000 pp deposit

The Houston Seminar will explore the colonial—and contemporary—heritage of three central Mexican cities founded in the sixteenth century and renowned for their architectural, artistic, and cultural heritage. Santiago de Querétaro (1531), Guanajuato (1548), and San Miguel de Allende (1555) lie near sources of mineral deposits whose discovery in the eighteenth century would make Mexico the world’s leading producer of silver. Today, all three cities are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will spend two nights in San Miguel de Allende and two nights in Santiago de Querétaro, traveling via coach in and around these two cities and Guanajuato.

Itinerary: Cities of Silver: Santiago de Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato

Wednesday, 4 October

9:50 AM Depart IAH – Houston Preferred flight #UA 2068 (Airfare not included)

10:54  Arrive QRO  – Querétaro

12:00 PM Travel directly to Mineral de Pozos.  We will visit the home and studio of  Geoff  Winningham, photographer and Rice University professor of visual arts. After lunch, we will tour the historic mines.

3:15 Depart for San Miguel de Allende

4:00 Check-in Casa 1810 Parque (casa1810.com) 

6:30 Board vans to evening event

6:45 Hyder House – tour, cocktails, and dinner 

9:00 Return to hotel

Thursday, 5 October

9:00 AM Board vans for Guanajuato

10:45 Arrive in Guanajuato, historic center walking tour

1:00 PM Lunch at Casa Valadéz – Continue tour

3:45 Depart for San Miguel

5:15 Arrive at hotel

6:15 Walk to a private reception 

6:30 Tour and reception at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Fernando Urrutia 

7:30 Evening free, dinner on your own

Friday, 6 October

9:00 AM Check out of Casa 1810, driving/walking tour of historic San Miguel

11:30 Lunch and home tour at Casa Aurora (Ed Eubanks host)

1:00 PM Depart for Queretaro 

1:45 Arrive in Queretaro/ Walking tour of Historic District 

4:00 Check-in to hotel Mesón de Santa Rosa

6:30 Board vans for dinner

7:00 Dinner at Hacienda Laborcilla

Saturday, 7 October

9:00 AM Walking tour and visit to Regional Museum and Art Museum

12:00 PM Lunch at Tikua Su-Este (in Querétaro’s historic center)

1:30 Return to hotel

2:30 Board vans for tour of Fábrica Hércules (rehabilitated by GOMA)—We will be met by Alfonso Garduño, who will provide an introduction to Querétaro

4:30 Board vans for a tour of the González House (GOMA) and the Garduño House (3G Arquitectos)

6:00 Reception/Dinner at the Garduño House

Sunday, 8 October 

9:30 AM Checkout hotel

9:45 Sunday Brunch at Mesón de Santa Rosa 

11:45 Board vans for airport

12:30 PM Arrive at airport

2:40 Depart QUERETARO UA #6316 (Airfare not included)

5:48 Arrive IAH Houston

Our Guides:

Juan Alfonso Garduño Jardón is principal of G3 Arquitectos, an award-winning firm based in Queretaro. He served as the dean of the School of Architecture at ITESM (Monterrey Institute of Technology) Querétaro Campus and as the Strategic Urban Projects Director of the Mobility Secretariat of Querétaro.

Stephen Fox is an architectural historian and a Fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. He teaches at both the Rice School of Architecture and the Hines College of Architecture & Design at the University of Houston. His work focuses on Texas architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His most recent book is The Architecture of Birdsall P. Briscoe.

Rafael Longoria is ACSA Distinguished Professor of Architecture at the University of Houston.  His areas of research include economic determinants of urban form, and architecture and planning in the cities of the American Southwest and Mexico, with a particular interest in sustainability, cultural hybridity, urban context, and public spaces.

Reservations will be made on a first come-first served basis upon receipt of a $1000 deposit, the Reservation and Deposit Form, and the signed Release of Claims form. Payment for the remainder owed cannot be made online. Payment must be made by check and mailed to the below P.O. Box.

You may print the forms and email them to [email protected] or send them by mail to:

The Houston Seminar
P.O. Box 22764
Houston, TX  77227

Travel Registration and Cancellation Policy

Reservations will be made on a first come-first served basis upon receipt of a $1000 deposit, the Reservation and Deposit Form, and the signed Release of Claims form. Payment in full is due on July 5, 2023. Reservations received after July 5, 2023, may be accepted if space is available and payment is made in full. Your reservation is not confirmed until you have received written confirmation from the Houston Seminar.

If payment in full for the tour is not made by July 5, 2023, your reservation will be canceled, and your $1000 deposit will be forfeited. Should the Houston Seminar cancel the tour for any reason, your deposit and any additional payments will be refunded in full. Should you have to cancel for any reason, you must notify the Houston Seminar in writing. For cancellations before July 5, 2023, all payments, less the $1000 deposit, will be refunded. A cancellation between July 5, 2023 and August 4, 2023, will result in the forfeiture of your $1000 deposit plus 50% of all other amounts paid. After August 4, 2023, cancellation will result in the forfeiture of 100% of all amounts paid. We recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance.