Albert Coffee Archaeotours - 37710 San Miguel de Allende

Albert is a fantastic tour guide so much knowledge and fun! It's a hike to the ruins but well worth it!

Let me begin by staying that I have traveled quite a bit in my life and have lived all over but I almost never write reviews for anything. And  I do mean anything. Especially for something that is not a product of some sort. That being said... On our trip to San Miguel I happened upon trip advisors website for Albert Coffee Tours of Cañada de la Virgen. Cañada de la Virgen is an archeological site that we had not heard of before. Myself being completely fascinated with all things mesoamerica I knew we had to go check this out. We contacted Albert for a tour on Saturday and he promptly replied that he was unable to do it on Saturday but checked with his colleague Rossana to see if she could do the tour. Rossana also promptly replied to let us know that she would be happy to take us there. Rossana is also one of the archaeologists who worked on this site. We had never been on a tour of a site with someone who actually helped in excavating a site so that was a plus from the get-go. We were picked up at 9 a.m. sharp in front of St. Paul's by Rosanna's husband who drove (in a very clean car) us to the museum and restaurant (that they are the owners of) where Rossana took over driving duties and we continued on to the site. When we arrived at the site we stepped inside the visitors center to buy tickets after that, while we waited for the shuttle that takes you most of the way to the actual grounds Rossana gave a very informative history lesson of the different periods of Mesoamerica. The shuttle bus takes you to a parking area where you will walk the rest of the way to the actual site. It is uphill most of the way so if you have trouble with long walks on an incline you will have to take it very slow. A walking stick may not be a bad idea for you if that is the case. I will not give details about the actual site because you have to see it for yourself and I could never do it justice. So I will leave that up to your esteemed guide. We wrapped up the tour of the site and traveled back to the museum/restaurant and almost made the mistake of not staying around for lunch. When we popped inside to get a quick look at the exhibit and grab a water we were greeted with a wonderful and refreshing drink that is made from corn, water and a little vanilla. As we drank this delicious concoction and studied the amazing photos that Rossana had taken we were overcome with the vibrant fragrance that was emanating from the kitchen of the restaurant which we would come to find out was going to be a feast of abundance. They curate the menu each month with seasonal ingredients correct to the time period and everything is made from scratch. Our meal began with guacamole, prickly pear paste and hand made corn tortillas that had the Virgin de Guadalupe imprinted into the tortillas for the upcoming celebration. Next there were two types of tamales, vegan and turkey. Followed by black beans, rice, and rabbit in a amazing sauce that will make your mouth water. Just when we thought that was it, out pops dessert. It was a creamy and rich deconstructed pumpkin pie, complemented with a cinnamon and cane sugar sweetened coffee. It was all so remarkable! And an experience that we will never forget. Do yourself a favor and book a tour with Albert Coffee Tours of Cañada de la Virgen and book the optional lunch afterwards at Rossana's. You will be glad that you did!

Had a extremely interesting tour with Albert! He has extensive knowledge of archaeology, botany, and science. When it is mixed with his knowledge of local culture, it makes for a wonderful tour! Time well spent!

This was the highlight of our trip. Albert set us up to tour the Cañada de la virgin site with Dr. Rossana Quiroz, one of the key archeologists that excavated the site that led astronomical observations over a ten year period. With a gleam in her eye she took us back in time, enthusiastically answered our questions and tickled our curiosity with the unsolved mysteries of the site. We ended the tour with refreshing delicious snacks at the museo De astronomica prehispanca.

A truly incredible experience! Albert was knowledgeable, responsive, and kind. I heard this was the best ruins tour in San Miguel, and Albert did not disappoint. I highly recommend this tour to anybody visiting San Miguel that wants to learn some fascinating history and experience first-hand local ancient culture.

My husband and I went on Alberts tour during our stay in San Miguel. Thoroughly enjoyed his tour of the pyramid and the surrounding area. I would recommend his tour to anyone visiting the area and am planning on bringing my sons to his tour if we make it back to San Miguel one day.

I really enjoyed the guided tour of Canada de la Virgen. Mr. Coffee is extremely knowledgeable about this site and how it might relate to the other cultures that existed at the time. There's a lot packed into this tour and it is very much worth the time and cost.

One of the best "guided tours" we have ever been on. Albert is THE expert on the areas archeology and actually helped work on the uncovering of the ruins. Highly recommend!