A 4-day trip to Mexico City and Oaxaca for Day of the Dead; curated, organized and guided by Mexican writer and scholar Salvador Olguín for Borderline Projects, and Morbid Anatomy
Presented by Salvador Olguín, Morbid Anatomy “Death in Mexico” Scholar in Residence, co-sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York.
Full list of events here
Dates: October 31 – November 4 2014 (**SOLD OUT)
Includes: Two Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City and Oaxaca; Special tours to El Templo Mayor, The Monumental Day of the Dead Offering at El Zocalo and The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, a visit to the historical neighborhood of Coyoacán and the Dolores Cemetery. Sites in Oaxaca include the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca attached to the Church of Santo Domingo, the citywide celebration and vigil of Day of the Dead at the Panteon General (the Oaxaca General Cemetery), also known as the Panteon San Miguel; the Old Xocotlan Cemetery, The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption, the Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre crafts and food markets, among many other incredibly beautiful traditional places and museums.
Cost: $675.00 USD (includes all hotels in double-rooms, luxury ground transportation, museum admissions, guided visits, and breakfasts; airfares not included); emai l [email protected] to reserve a space. Please send payments via PayPal to: [email protected].
PLEASE NOTE: non-refundable down payment of $350.00 required by July 15 to reserve. Space limited to 35 people. Email[email protected] with questions.
This Halloween season join Morbid Anatomy scholar in residence Salvador Olguín for a very special 4-day, 4-night trip to Mexico for our favorite holiday, Día de Muertos.
Last year’s trip took us to three different Colonial cities in Mexico. This year, we will visit La Capital, Mexico City, as well as the city of Oaxaca, where Colonial, pre-Columbian and modern traditions come together to create a unique experience during Day of the Dead. With Mexican writer and scholar Salvador Olguín as our expert guide, our journey will take us to two different Day of the Dead celebrations, special tours of obscure museums, markets selling Day of the Dead and Santa Muerte artifacts, churches, cemeteries, and, throughout, great regional cuisine, and drink! There is no experience like drinking Oaxacan mezcal in a Mexican cemetery during Dia de Muertos!
Attractions include:
A bus trip to two major Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City and Oaxaca, as well as other amenities (museums, markets, food vendors, etc.) aboard our exclusive luxury bus.
In Mexico City
- El Templo Mayor Museum and Archeological Site
- The Monumental Day of the Dead Offering at El Zocalo
- The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
- Dolores Cemetery
- The neighborhood of Coyoacán’s Day of the Death celebrations and altars.
- The citywide Day of the Dead celebrations at el Zocalo (Historic Downtown Oaxaca) to admire the altares (offerings) and the typically Oaxacan Day of the Death sand paintings.
- The all-night vigil of Day of the Dead at the Panteon San Miguel
- The Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca attached to the Church of Santo Domingo
- The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Assumption
- The Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre crafts and food markets
- Visit to the Monte Alban Archeological Site
- A plethora of markets, art galleries, stores and other places for shopping calaveritas, art-crafts and curiosities and enjoy, of course, the proverbially infinite world of Oaxaca’s gastronomy, music, traditional festivals, and drinks!
October 31
We recommend arriving in Mexico City on the morning of Halloween, October 31. We will meet at the hotel at 2:30 pm for check-in. We will leave the hotel to go t the Zocalo to admire the astronishing Monumental Day of the Dead Offering at El Zocalo and The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral. The Zocalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center. The site is just one block southwest of our next stop, the Templo Mayor, one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan which, according to Aztec legend and mythology, was considered the center of the universe. We will admire the sacred ballcourt and skull rack (tzompantli), and more than 7,000 objects found in the temple’s excavation and now housed in the Templo Mayor Museum.
November 1st - Mexico City
Optional trip to San Andres Mixquic, where we’ll visit the cemetery. We will also provide you with a map and a booklet so you can organise your own visits to the Dolores Cemetery, Coyoacán, and other interesting places in Mexico City.
November 2nd – City of Oaxaca
The bus will depart to Oaxaca early in the morning to partake in the particularly magical Day of the Dead traditional celebrations that take place in the city of Oaxaca, located in the southern Mexican state of the same name (Oaxaca). Oaxaca is one of the most unique and mystical cities in Mexico, famous for its rich cultural, religious and artistic traditions, archaeological sites, and exquisite cuisine. In Oaxaca, Day of the Dead is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Oaxaca’s Day of the Dead celebrations actually take place over several days, but the main events happen from October 31st to November 2nd. The first day of November commemorates children and the following day is for the adults. The celebration also includes special Day of the Dead markets and festivals, the installation of intricate altars decorated with papel picado (cut-out paper), candles, cempazuchitl (the flower of the dead), copal, sand paintings, bread of the dead, calaveritas (sugar skulls), mezcal, chocolate, cigarettes, Oaxacan mole, and many other drink and food offerings.
November 3rd – Oaxaca – Optional trip
On this day we will continue to explore Oaxaca’s rich and ancient culture.
November 4th
We will be back in Mexico City by November 4 after 5:00 p.m. Please consider this for your traveling arrangements. For more information, contact[email protected]
Cost:$675.00 USD – airfares not included, non-refundable down payment of $350.00 required by July 15 to reserve. Space limited to 35 people. Send payments via PayPal to [email protected] or email with questions.
The $675 fee covers land transportation in a luxury bus, traveler insurance, lodging (double rooms at hotels), taxes, breakfasts, guided tours, tickets to museums, special visits to some of the sites, and special treats.
