Top 5 Things to Know About Day of the Dead in Mixquic, Mexico

Since the Day of the Dead was recognized by UNESCO, the line between tradition and modern inventions around this holiday have been blurred. For an authentic experience, I celebrated Day of the Dead in Mixquic. In this post, I cover the top 5 things I learned about the authentic Mexican tradition.

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<3 Dominique

UNESCO listed the Day of the Dead (or Día de Muertos) on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. This Mexican celebration has gained further international attention thanks to films like Coco and Spectre. This notoriety has blurred the lines between the traditional aspects of the holiday and modern day inventions to to attract tourism.

I shared my experience at the 2019 Mega Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City Though it was fun, the Parade deviates from the Mexican traditions that have been passed down for generations. To observe a more authentic celebration of Día de Muertos, I headed down to the town of Mixquic.

I had been travelling around Mexico for a week. I passed through the southern and central regions and watched as towns prepared for Día de Muertos. Vibrant colours exploded in the towns. The air was thick with the fragrant flowers. The sounds of travelling brass bands were everywhere. All these rituals are rich with symbolic meaning. The more historic context I got, the more appreciation I got for the feast for the senses happening all around me.

Top 5 Things I Learned about Day of the Dead in Mixquic

1) What is Día de Muertos?

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead in English) is a Mexican holiday that celebrates loved ones who have died. Though death is an underlying theme of the holiday, the point is to celebrate (as opposed to mourn) the dead. It is a very colourful holiday involving festive decor, music, parades, food, vibrant makeup, and costumes.

A Brief History of Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos rituals can be traced back to Mesoamerican cultures. These cultures considered mourning the dead to be disrespectful. Death was viewed as a natural part of life. The dead were considered to be members of the community whose memories had to be kept alive. Once a year, communities held a festival believing that spirits of the dead temporarily returned to the realm of the living. The Aztecs/Mexicas held a month long festival celebrating the Goddess of Death, along with the dead. This festival was originally observed in August.

During the Spanish conquest, the conquistadors banned all indigenous traditions. However, in an attempt to convert the indigenous over to the Catholic faith, they encouraged Día de Muertos practices to commence… in November.

In the Catholic calendar, All Saints Day and All Souls Day fall on November 1 and 2, respectively. In an attempt to get the indigenous to relate to the new religion, the conquistadors forcefully rescheduled the indigenous celebrations to align with Catholic practices. Therefore, modern day celebrations of Día de Muertos have elements of Mesoamerican rituals and Catholic influence.

On November 1st, those who observe Día de Muertos believe that the spirits of saints, children and infants cross over to the realm of the living for the day. They return to the realm of the dead at midnight. On November 2nd, people believe that it is when the spirits of deceased adults visit the realm of the living.

2) Día de Muertos festivities are not universal

Día de Muertos is not a statutory holiday in Mexico. It is a bank holiday but not everyone gets the day off. Therefore, many Mexicans working in the cities (but with ties to smaller towns) cannot participate in the traditional activities more commonly observed in smaller towns and districts.

At this point, I have emphasized how Día de Muertos is a celebration of loved ones who have passed on. There is also an element of sadness to the festivities. I think that is entirely dependent on the individual and the situation. I found that solemn commemoration and festive celebration went hand-in-hand and were not competition with each other.

Though shared elements exist, Day of the Dead celebrations can vary from town to town. Admittedly, my experience in San Andrés Mixquic heavily influences this article.

Mixquic is famous for its Alumbrada vigil

San Andrés Mixquic is a community that is about an 1.5 hour drive south of Mexico City. It is famous for its Día de Muertos celebrations, and it received the designation of “Barrio Mágico” in 2011 specifically for this reason.

“Barrio Mágico” of Mexico City is a designation given to a neighbourhood in the Federal District by the Ministry of Culture. This designation is given to attract tourism to that area. There currently 21 neighbourhoods that have this designation.

Founded in the 11th century, archeological excavations in Mixquic revealed that a cult of the dead existed here before the Spanish conquest. Modern day Día de Muertos celebrations in Mixquic are an extension of this cult. In the 1600s, they built a church and the former San Andrés Apostol monastery, which became the center of the town. Surrounding the church is a cemetery. This cemetery (and the town) is world famous for the Alumbrada vigil that takes place here on the night of Día de Muertos.

Fun fact: A local told me that most old churches in Mexico that are located in the centre of a cemetery have been deemed too unsanitary to continue serving as a church. The church in Mixquic is the only one left that continues to serve its community.

Day of the Dead in Mixquic

Preparation

On November 2, people clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones at the main cemetery by the church. Day of the Dead in Mixquic begins with people decorating the graves with flowers and colored sawdust with elaborate designs. When I was there, I saw likenesses of the Virgin Mary, crosses, angels, and indigenous iconography. People also light candles to decorate the graves.

Alumbrada Vigil

At 8 pm, they ring the church bells and dim the lights over the cemetery. The thousands of burning candles that adorn the graves effectively illuminate the graveyard.

The light from thousands of candles bounced off the vibrant colors of the flower arrangements, filling the cemetery with colour. Smoke from the copal incense only added to the otherworldly feel of the vigil. They burn incense to help attract the spirits of the departed to the realm of the living.

Many families camp out at the graves of their loved ones in order to spend time with the spirit of the deceased during this limited time. Mixed moods prevailed during the celebrations of Day of the Dead in Mixquic. Some families were happily chatting and others maintaining a quiet, somber atmosphere.

Families prepare and display the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks at the graves because they believe that the spirits of the deceased can consume the essence of the food. At midnight, the church bells ring one last time to mark the return of the spirits of the deceased to the realm of the dead. Day of the Dead in Mixquic ends with families packing up the food so that they can be eaten at home.

For your consideration

Mixquic was very chaotic when I went there for Día de Muertos 2019. THOUSANDS of people were there. If you decide to go, I would advise against taking big bags with you as space would be VERY limited. I saw many flower displays knocked over by bags. Moreover, remember that there are families at the graves who are celebrating their loved ones. There will be families who are happy (and are more likely to share their traditions with you) but there will also be families there that are in mourning. Always ask for permission to take a picture with a simple: “Puedo?”. Try to be as respectful. I saw some very cringeworthy, “touristy” behaviours while I was there… (I hate to sound preachy here but it was so bad I HAVE to call it out).

3) Cempasúchils lead the departed back to the land of the living

If I had to assign a color to the Día de Muertos celebrations in Mexico, I would definitely choose orange for the cempasúchil petals scattered everywhere. Cempasúchil (or marigold in English) has a distinctive scent believed to guide spirits back to the realm of the living. Therefore, they are a key element to the Día de Muertos rituals.

Families spread cempasúchil petals from their front door to their ofrenda. They believe that the petals will help guide the spirits of their deceased loved ones from the cemetery to their home. Arches are often fashioned out of the cempasúchils. The arches represent the gateway between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead.

The movie Coco prominently featured cempasúchil petals and added them to the movie’s vibrant graphics. In real life, these flowers were as iridescent off screen as they were on screen. Cempasúchil seems to be a common element in all Día de Muertos celebrations. In addition to the orange and yellow flowers, magenta flowers and baby’s breath are also widely used for Día de Muertos decorations.

4) Ofrendas lead the departed home

Ofrendas are arguably the most prominent feature of Día de Muertos. An ofrenda is an altar set up to honour deceased loved ones in the belief that it will help guide their spirits home. Elements of the ofrenda are more or less the same across the regions in Mexico.

Most ofrendas include the following elements:

Different Levels

Typically, people make ofrendas with multiple levels, although the number of levels varies from household to household. Ofrendas with two levels represent heaven and earth; three levels represent heaven, purgatory and earth; and seven levels represent the steps the soul of the deceased had to take to get to heaven.

Pictures of the Deceased

This element is relatively new with the invention and availability of photography. Today, people place pictures of the deceased at the top level of the ofrenda to welcome their spirit back to the land of the living.

Papel Picado

Considered a Mexican folk art, papel picado (or perforated paper in English) are decorative paper flags that have images cut out of them. The four elements are represented on ofrendas. Though not exclusive to Día de Muertos, people use papel picado to represent the air element on ofrendas.

Flowers

As previously mentioned, people believe that cempasúchils help guide spirits back home and prominently feature them on ofrendas. Flowers represent the earth element.

Pan de Muertos and Favourite Foods of the Deceased

Pan de muertos is a sweet bread baked especially for Día de Muertos. Each region has its own version of pan de muertos. The bread is meant to be shared with the spirits of the deceased. People believe that the spirits can enjoy the essence of the food placed on the ofrenda.

In addition, people display and replenish the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks on the ofrenda daily. This is to welcome the deceased home for Día de Muertos.

Water

People place a glass of water on the ofrenda to (1) offer the spirits of the deceased water after a long journey to the realm of the living and (2) represent the water element.

Candles

People light candles to help guide the spirits to the realm of the living. They also represent the fire element.

Copal Incense and Salt

These two elements are included on the ofrenda to keep bad and malicious spirits away.

Candy Skulls

Sugar, chocolate, and amaranth skulls represent death and how sweet it can be. It is symbolic of the whole holiday and Mexican culture itself in that death doesn’t necessarily have to be solemn and can be celebrated as a natural part of life.

5) What are Catrinas?

La Catrina is probably the most internationally recognized icon when speaking of Día de Muertos.

If you don’t recognize it by name, you have probably seen pictures of women dressed as catrinas:

Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada created the cartoon La Calavera Catrina between 1910 and 1913. Originally, she was a satirical portrait of Mexican natives who were trying to cover up their indigenous roots by adopting European dress and aristocratic traditions.

The rise of the popularity of La Catrina is credited to a 1947 mural by Diego Rivera. Rivera featured Posada’s Catrina in his mural titled Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central). It is thought that Rivera intended to show the Mexicans’ comfort and tradition of welcoming death. Very few countries pay homage to death in the way that Mexico does. The native bones wrapped in European clothing can also be symbolic of the shell that Europe cloaked Mesoamerica in.

With this explanation of what La Calavera Catrina means to the Mexicans, it is easy to see why she became THE icon of Día de Muertos. La Catrina is the perfect embodiment of the Mexican attitude towards death. The holiday is extremely social and full of merriment. Dressing up as catrinas and skeletons to party on the streets and zocalos is part of the fun.

Tip: if you want to travel and learn about Day of the Dead in Mixquic, I recommend THIS tour with G Adventures.

From my travel journal…

After walking around the main cemetery in Mixquic and (mostly) trying not to be in anyone’s way, I decided to head towards the exit as it was getting way too chaotic for me. On my way out, I noticed a grave that stood noticeably bare among its intricately decorated neighbours.

The grave marker had an inscription on it and I took a moment to read and understand. It is the Spanish translation of the poem Remember Me by David Harkins.

Remember Me by David Harkins

You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love that you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she is gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Parallels to the song from Coco aside, this grave tugged at my heartstrings. At some point, someone cared enough for this woman to pick a poem to inscribe on her grave marker. She was loved and remembered not too long ago. And for whatever reason on this Día de Muertos, no one had the opportunity to decorate her grave.

Before entering the cemetery, my Guide had been explaining the meaning behind the different Día de Muertos elements that I can expect to see in Mixquic. She gave me a bag of cempasúchil petals and candles to pay tribute to any soul of my choosing. I chose this person.

While I didn’t have an ofrenda set up for her and the only food I had on me was a bag of crisps, I still didn’t want her grave to lay bare next to her neighbours.

It was the weirdest thing… After the crowds in the cemetery herded and pushed me around for nearly an hour and a half, not a single living soul came close while I was at this woman’s grave. I took a moment to actually reflect on and digest everything I had experienced in Mexico during Día de Muertos. This moment of peace actually redeemed the entire Day of the Dead in Mixquic experience in my memories.

Have you ever witnessed Day of the Dead in Mixquic? Do you have questions for someone who has been? As always, I would love to hear from you in the comments below.