Discover Mexico City During Dia de Muertos
This year I finally returned to Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead. I wanted to experience this holiday in Mexico City, a fascinating place that brings me back time and time again and provides endless opportunities of learning and discovery. Naturally, I was curious to see how this particular holiday unfolds here.
Oaxaca grew really close to my heart and it set the bar high for this experiencing this tradition. I knew that Mexico City was going to be different, and in many ways it was. All in all, it seemed to have a more commercial feel to it, trying to cater to the local as well as the foreign community and mixing elements of the traditional Dia de Muertos celebrations with Halloween. However, it would be hard to generalize and talk about the holiday in the city as a whole. I tried to visit as many of my favorite districts of the city as I could and I found that in each of them the celebrations were fundamentally different with no shortage of activities to do.
El Centro
The biggest celebrations attracting the most people happen in the center of the city. This in itself is a very extensive area and various things are happening in each corner of it. One of the most famous traditions is actually quite a recent one: the Grand Desfile de Dia de Muertos, or the Day of the Dead Parade, which was made popular in Mexico City after the James Bond movie Spectre came out in 2016. The tradition has already existed in other parts of Mexico, however the popularity of the movie made it into an attractive option for Mexico City as well. The parade is an almost 9km long walk from the Bosque de Chapultepec, to the central square of Zócalo. It showcases giant floats, dancers and musicians, Catrinas and Catrines and various traditional symbols of the holiday. The parade attracted more than a million spectators this year.
Along the Paseo de la Reforma is the exhibition of the alebrijes, the colorful mythical creatures popularized by the artist Pedro Linares at the beginning of the 20th century. At the Zócalo there is the exhibition of gigantic Calaveras representing the traditional clothes of each state in Mexico placed in front of the typical altars of said states. Walking around the Zócalo at night feels like finding yourself in the middle of a fairytale with many Catrinas and mythical creatures popping up behind every corner. There are various cultural activities involving the Day of the Dead celebrations, some more promoted, while others you can only happen on by chance. No wonder that the holiday draws so many visitors in from all over the country as well as from abroad!
Bosque Chapultepec
Close to the center there is the Bosque Chapultepec, an extensive wooded area, where visitors get the chance to participate in a night walk along lit up paths and passing by art installations. The walk is meant to represent the welcoming of the spirits for the celebrations. The atmosphere is very intimate, however, before entering the park, one can expect to wait in line for 1 to 2 hours to be let in. There is live music entertaining the visitors and of course a long line of vendors and face painting stations.
People waiting in line in front of Bosque Chapultepec to do the night walk
San Angel
San Angel is one of my favorite districts of Mexico City, with its small town feel and abundant artistic outlets. There were some beautiful ofrendas set up in the center this year, each closely related to artists’ work or put up to commemorate famous artists of the area. There was a very interesting interactive installation as well where one could listen to traditional and mythological stories of the Day of the Dead, accompanied by music. Another interesting installation was set up for the artists working with glass. There was an ofrenda with everything on it entirely made up of glass as well as glass skulls and glass Catrinas meant to popularize and represent the value inherent in the artisanship of glassworkers.
Coyoacán
Coyoacán is another area that is closer to the center yet retains its small town feel. This area is also very popular with visitors due to its rich artisan culture, street fairs and many possibilities for eating out and having fun for children and adults alike. Many vendors choose this place to sell typical Mexican foods and drinks, artisanries, offer fairground rides, set up face painting stations and many more. A beautiful and very detailed ofrenda awaits the visitors in the center of Coyoacán, commemorating local artists and their service to the community.
All in all Mexico City delivered a unique and abundant experience for the holiday. Although, I was often overwhelmed by the large groups of people visiting for the holidays, I strangely also felt comfortable just being part of the masses. It is definitely a fundamentally different feel to the celebrations of Oaxaca, but I think it is really worth the experience for its range of activities and experiences.
