In 2017 I studied in Querétaro, Mexico for a semester. During my time there I traveled all over the country. Día de Muertos is by far one of the most beautiful and touching traditions I have ever witnessed. Discover how best to celebrate Día de Muertos in Mexico.
Pátzcuaro & Janitzio
There is no better place to celebrate this than in Michoacán. From Querétaro we went to Pátzcuaro by bus. We walked through the beautiful city, along the markets and ate some delicious Mexican food. Pátzcuaro is situated by a big lake and on this lake are a couple of islands. We took a boat to the island of Janitzio. Janitzio is known for its sweet water fish and the big statue of José María Morelos on top that you can go inside of. Lots of people were there celebrating the Day of the Dead. The atmosphere was magical.
The Cemetery of Tzintzuntzan
Then we hopped back on the bus and drove to the cemetery of Tzintzuntzan. This is the famous cemetery that the movie Coco is based on. If you want to know more about this tradition, I highly recommend watching this movie. It came out around the time we did this trip and I saw it in the cinema in Mexico, loved it!
When we got to the cemetery it was about 4am and it was still super busy. People were eating by a fire next to the grave of a family member. Some people were even sleeping there. It was really touching to see how close they still feel to their loved ones that passed away. All the graves were decorated with marigold flowers, which you will see everywhere that time of the year.
More traditions for Day of the Dead
Don’t forget to try the delicious, sweet Pan de Muerto or bread of death. They only make it around Día de Muertos. There will be lots of parties everywhere in Halloween theme. A traditional costume for women is to have your face painted as a Catrina, which is a decorated skull. It is tradition for Mexican families to make an ofrenda in their house, which is an offer table with pictures of loved ones that passed away, their favorite food, flowers and candles. They are beautiful!
If you are planning a trip to Mexico I highly recommend you to do it around the time of Día de Muertos. This was definitely a highlight of my studies abroad! I hope you liked this article about how/where to celebrate Día de Muertos in Mexico. In THIS VIDEO you can catch a glimpse of the festivities.
I wrote the following articles about my time of Mexico:
- Trips North of Mexico City – Trips from Querétaro
- Studying in Mexico – Going local in Querétaro
- Waterfalls and Mayan ruins in Oaxaca
- Mexico City and Mayan Pyramids
- Mexican Independence Day in Guanajuato
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