You can get to Oaxaca from Mexico City either by flying or driving, but keep in mind that the drive will take about 6 hours (a bit longer if you take the bus) and part of it will be through winding mountain roads. Make sure you try some pan de muerto (a pastry with sugary bone-shaped decorations on top that's only made at this time of year throughout the country) or some local pan de yema, "yolk bread," dunked in traditional Oaxacan hot chocolate. During the day, you can browse through colorful markets that sell Day of the Dead handicrafts, like the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, and watch as families buy the treats that they’ll set up for their dearly departed at the family ofrendas. Visitors can see decorated altars and lit up niches at the Panteón General on the nights of November 1st and 2nd, or visit the cemeteries in the villages surrounding the city, such as Xoxocotlán. With one of the country's highest indigenous populations, Oaxaca itself is quite traditional and Día de Muertos celebrations extend over the course of a few days. Oaxaca is indisputably one of the main places in the country to experience Day of the Dead. Learn more about the celebrations before you head to Mexico Keep in mind that the drive will take around 2 hours. There’s no accommodation in the barrio, so you’ll have to drive back to CDMX late at night after your visit to the cemetery. Start your journey in the afternoon to ensure you find parking once there. Buy yourself a local SIM card, download the Waze app – everyone in Mexico relies on Waze for directions and to avoid traffic – and head south to Mixquic with some friends. Visiting Mixquic will take about half your day, and the best way to get there is by renting a car. During this time, people open their homes for visitors to admire the ofrendas (altars) they set up to guide the spirits of their departed family members back home for the night, so follow the crowds and see where the night takes you. While you wait for the main event, you can wander the streets of the barrio itself, which is also dressed for the occasion with striking Day of the Dead graffiti along its walls. If you find yourself in the area on October 26th, you can also attend the Catrina parade to see hundreds of people – performers and revelers alike – dressed up as graceful skeletons in opulent costumes. It will start at the Estela de Luz monument and end at the Zócalo square (where a formidable Day of the Dead altar will be set up from October 25 to November 17). The main parade will take place on November 2nd from 4-8 pm along Avenida Reforma. This is an event that definitely draws in the crowd, so make sure you arrive a couple of hours before the parade is set to start to grab a spot at the front and actually see the parade go by – as opposed to endless rows of people standing in front of you. True, it was the James Bond film's depiction of a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City that inspired the real one to come to life, but if you find yourself in CDMX in early November, you won’t be sorry to follow in the locals’ footsteps.ĭazzling floats, dancing Catrinas – elegantly-dressed skeleton women – and enormous puppets resembling Frida Kahlo and other famous figures from Mexico’s historical and cultural past will march by wide-eyed spectators along Avenida Reforma. In Mexico City the holiday is celebrated with a large and over-the-top parade © Vincent Isore / Getty Images Attend the Parade in Mexico CityĪ recent addition to the capital’s cultural events calendar, The Day of the Dead Parade is back for its third installment and it promises to be as spectacular as in previous years.
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