Yucatan Peninsula Events

The Yucatecan calendar keeps observances that differ noticeably from the rest of Mexico, and one in particular is worth timing a visit around.

Hanal Pixan — 31 October to 2 November

The Yucatecan Day of the Dead, and the name means food for the souls in Maya. It is quieter and more domestic than the famous central Mexican version: families clean and repaint the graves, build altars at home with photographs, candles, flowers and the dead person’s favourite food and drink, and set a place at the table. The essential dish is mucbipollo — a large tamal of chicken and pork in a maize dough, wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a pit dug in the yard, which takes most of a day and involves the whole household. Children’s souls are received on the first day, adults on the second. Merida stages a large procession, the Paseo de las Animas, from the cemetery to the centre, but the heart of it is in the villages and in people’s houses.

The equinoxes — March and September

At Chichen Itza, the late-afternoon sun on the equinox throws a series of triangular shadows down the balustrade of the northern staircase, forming a serpent that appears to descend the pyramid to the carved head at its foot. Tens of thousands attend; the effect is visible for several days either side, with far fewer people.

Carnival and Vaqueria

Merida Carnival before Lent is among the largest in Mexico. Vaqueria dances, with jarana performed in traditional dress, are held weekly in Merida’s main square and at village fiestas throughout the year.