OUR STORY
Boutique cultural tourism in Mexico with ViAjolote, connecting people, cultures and creativity
ViAjolote is the creation of two women, Paola Schlaepfer and Cristina King Miranda, who have over 30 years combined experience in creative production and programming of arts and culture in Mexico. We wish to share our experiences with passionate and curious travelers. Our team is intimately familiar, and has built relationships over the years, with local entrepreneurs, guides, grocers, chefs, artisans, musicians, artists, and hosts enabling us to open doors usually found closed to external parties. As a small outfit with personal connections and a passion for detail we bring an innovative approach to travel design.
Cristina King Miranda
Founding partner & director
Born in Madrid, raised in Washington D.C., Cristina splits her time between Mexico, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. She is a naturalized Mexican citizen and has spent most of her adult life in Mexico City. Cristina is a Fulbright García Robles scholar, cultural entrepreneur, and a promoter and curator of performing arts and music with 25 years of experience in the United States and Mexico. She has curated and developed numerous large-scale cultural events including the Monterrey World Cultures Forum, the Bicentenary Celebration of the Independence of Mexico and several editions of the Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City.
Cristina has served as a consultant for FONCA’s (National Fund for Culture and Art) ENARTES, Performing Arts Market, as well as director of Development and Special Projects for FONCA and the US-Mexico Fund for Culture. She also served as director of the internationally acclaimed Festival of the Centro Histórico of Mexico City. Cristina has a young adult son, loves theater, music, horses, and salsa dancing, and holds a BA in International Affairs and Latin American Politics from Brown University.
Paola Schlaepfer Pedrazzini
Founding partner & director
Born and raised in Mexico City, Paola’s multicultural upbringing and mastery of four languages (French, English, Italian and Spanish) meant her love for travel began at an early age. She specializes in the production of cultural events and has gained experience in various European countries and Mexico. She has been involved in many public cultural events such as various editions of the Festival of the Centro Histórico of Mexico City, the Commemorative Parade for the Bicentenary of Mexican Independence as well as her role as Executive Producer of the Día de los Muertos parade in Mexico City. Her work also includes multi-disciplinary art projects such as Prisma the Global Convention of Performing Arts in Oaxaca and Mexico City.
Majo Barrera
Art Historian & Community Manager
Majo has been living in Mexico City for ten years. She hails originally from Saltillo, and she immediately fell in love with Mexico City; chaotic, yet charming. Her adventurous spirit has taken her to the most remote corners of the country to discover and enjoy all kinds of diverse and interesting experiences. Majo’s travel anecdotes show her voracious curiosity, as well as her spontaneity and thirst for as much historical, cultural and environmental knowledge as possible about the regions and villages she has visited and the people she has met.
As an art historian, she has participated in many cultural projects including her work with visual artist Franco Manterola, participating in Mexico City’s annual Day of the Dead Parade (2018), and in the Asylum Arts New York Art Retreat that took place in Mexico City. She has done some editorial work for institutions such as The University Contemporary Art Museum (MUAC) and the Aesthetics Investigations Institution. In 2020, she joined ViAjolote team where she creates digital content to promote Mexican culture and to develop ViAjolote’s community.
