South And Gulf Coast of Mexico Events

Two of Mexico’s greatest festivals belong to this region, and both are worth planning a trip around.

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca — 31 October to 2 November

The most elaborate observance of Dia de Muertos in Mexico. Families build ofrendas at home with marigolds, candles, photographs and the dead person’s favourite food and drink, and then spend the night in the cemeteries — at Xoxocotlan and Atzompa the graves are covered in flowers and candlelight, brass bands play, and families sit with their dead until dawn. In the city, comparsas parade through the streets in masks and costume, and the markets fill with sugar skulls, pan de muerto and the specific varieties of marigold grown for it. It is a family occasion above all, and the cemeteries welcome respectful visitors who behave as guests rather than photographers. The city books out months in advance.

Guelaguetza — the last two Mondays of July, Oaxaca

Delegations from Oaxaca’s eight regions come to the city to dance in their own dress, with their own music, and to give away what their region produces — the word means a reciprocal offering in Zapotec. It descends from a pre-Hispanic observance overlaid with a Catholic feast, and the performances in the hillside auditorium are accompanied by a week of processions, food fairs and mezcal.

Carnival at Veracruz — February or March

Among the largest in Mexico, with a strong Afro-Caribbean character.

Semana Santa in the Chiapas highlands

Tzotzil and Tzeltal observances that combine Catholic and older ritual, particularly at Chamula.