Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico

Experiencing Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico is one of the most precious memories from all my travels.  El Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead is a flavorful and ceremonial celebration devoted to honoring and welcoming back the souls of deceased loved ones. Bright and colorful altars are constructed in homes and public places adorned with a vibrant array of glowing votive candles, photos, marigolds, crafts and favorite foods of the deceased including beer, chocolate, grasshoppers, sugar skull heads as ofrendas. Every year at Vosges Haut-Chocolat, we make exotic chocolate skulls encrusted with black salt, jeweled eyes to commemorate this most vibrant of holidays.

Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1-2,  is a historic Meso-American holiday that originated from the Aztecs 3000 years earlier. When the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico nearly 500 years ago, they encountered natives practicing this ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. Although the ceremony has since been merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles the Aztecs had intended, a view that death is the continuation of life. Life was a dream and only in death did one become truly awake.
The skulls were used to symbolize this cycle of death and rebirth. As the Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual to honor the dead and exalt the sphere of death and rebirth.

Much of the holiday centers around preparation of the best foods that are offered to ancestors who come back to visit the living during this narrow window of time.  Colorful skeletons in all forms decorate homes, cemeteries and altars.   Weeks in advance, time is expressly taken to prepare moles, marzipan, tamales and calabacha en tacha, candied pumpkin soaked in clove and cinnamon spiced brown sugar syrup.  Traditional liquors such as Mezcal served with worm ground salt and pulque are also abundantly served during the celebration.

A few years ago, I hosted a Yoga + Chocolate retreat in Oaxaca during the Day of the Dead celebration with my dear friend and yoga master, David Romanelli. Daily yoga and food experiences were centered around Oaxaca’s history and culinary traditions- this is the land of 7 moles and chocolate after all.  If you are feeling spontaneous and need a break from your daily grind, I insist you book a last minute trip to Oaxaca to enjoy the Day of the Dead celebrations on November 1 and 2nd.   Below is the itinerary from our Mexican yoga + chocolate excursion full of MUST DO experiences in Oaxaca.

Oaxaca, Mexico – Travel Recommendations

HOTELS
I highly recommend staying at the amazing Camino Real. The Camino Real is a gorgeous 5-star hotel set in a 15th century former convent of Santa Catalina. Otherwise, consider the Casa Oaxaca where you should visit no matter what for a Temazcal appointment and a dinner.

DAY 1
Every morning you will have the option to enjoy Camino Real’s famous Oaxacan breakfast buffet, an event not be missed while you dine within one of the many courtyards and listen to the sounds of monks singing.  Be sure to try the chapulines (grasshoppers) and pan de yema dipped in chocolate con leche or chocolate con agua, the favored drink of Oaxaca.

During the day, enjoy a trip to Teotitlán del Valle, a small village just outside of Oaxaca that is famous for rug weaving, mezcal distilleries, and the Mendoza’s Tlamanalli Restaurant.  If you can arrange a Comida Zapotecan old-style Zapotecan cooking in a class with one of the 4 Zapotec sisters, Abigail Mendoza you will be in for a treat.  After lunch visit a local mezcal producer and distillery learn about the art of making mezcal.  Dinner at El Naranjo, Iliana de la Vega’s renowned restaurant.

DAY 2
Depart for Monte Alban, a group of hills in the center of the Valle de Oaxaca which  holds one of the oldest cities on the American continent.  It is the capital of Zapotec culture with ancient ruins dating back to 500BC. Have a quick lunch at La Capilla, a famous open-air restaurant where you can see how they make blandas and tlayudas on large griddles.  You’ll experience their excellent regional cooking, specializing in mole negro, a mole with chocolate.  After lunch, stop briefly in Coyotepec, the home of black pottery, before heading back to the hotel. You will see this lace cut pottery all over Camino Real illuinated by candle light at dusk.

In the evening, visit the village and cemeteries of Xoxocotlan for Day of the Dead festivities. Click here for the description of the history, significance, and festivities surrounding this unique Mexican holiday.

DAY 3
Arrange a cooking class at Restaurant El Naranjo with one of Oaxaca’s most popular female chefs, Iliana de la Vega of El Naranjo.  Experience a hands-on cooking class after which you’ll sojourn to the Benito Juarez market and a local chocolate mill, where Iliana will explain the seasonal produce, the wide variety of fresh and dry chilies, and the making of Mexican chocolate.

DAY 4
Take a guided tour of Oaxaca City.  Visit the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca.  The fourteen halls set in this museum, within the former convent of Santo Domingo, are an absolute must see. Lunch in Oaxaca’s main town square, known as the zocalo, at La Casa de la Abuella.  This restaurant demonstrates superb local Oaxacan cooking prepared according to old recipes carefully preserved by the lovely owner, Olga Scherenberg de Martinez.  The restaurant has a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains, the town’s Cathedral and the zocalo.  The mole almendrado is highly recommended.

In the afternoon, explore 20 de Noviembre Mercado, the most popular market in Oaxaca, to experience wonderful Mexican food including Tlayuda grilled meats, chocolates, and moles. Try dinner at Marco Polo at 5 de Mayo Street.

DAY 5
Hike the mountains in the Sierra Norte, land of “the cloud people.”  The trip runs between 6-7 hours in total, including three hours of hiking. The hike is at 10,000 feet above sea level and is suitable for avid hikers only.  Then have a lunch at La Casa del Pueblo Restaurant. If staying in Oaxaca and opting out of the hike, be sure to visit the Photography Museum, a small contemporary open-air museum donated by internationally acclaimed, local artist Francisco Toledo.  The Contemporary Art Museum is another worthwhile one to visit. Dinner at Casa Oaxaca a must!

DAY 6
Spend an unforgettable day with famous chef Susana Trilling, including a comprehensive cooking class and market tour in Etla, giving you an insider’s knowledge of Mexican culture through its cuisine.  This is an experience of Mexico most visitors never have. Susana Trilling, teacher, chef, writer and television host will teach you to work with the native foods of Mexico.  The class, tour and lectures focus on pre-Hispanic foods, traditional culinary, medicinal, and spiritual herb usage, and the Spanish influence on the contemporary Oaxacan kitchen.  The participation-based class combined with the market tour provides fantastic insight into the daily Oaxacan food culture.

RANCHO AURORA, Susana’s home, is on a hillside farm overlooking the pueblo of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec in Etla.  It has a breathtaking view of the valley.  There, you will discover where the food you cook is grown, gathered, and prepared for use in the many forms of Mexican cuisine. Susana also has a marvelous store at her school for you food-ies and gadget collectors.  Note that her store only takes cash, either in dollars or pesos, or traveler’s checks – but no credit cards.  If using traveler’s checks, be sure to bring your passport.

Dinner at La Olla.

EXPERIENCED TRAVELERS… for those of you who have Oaxaca recommendations of your own, please leave comments. I am always looking for new adventures!