DAY OF THE DEAD EXPERIENCE - Teotitlán del Valle

What you’ll do:

“The spirits of our loved ones will live forever in the memory of the living.”

Our Day of the Dead experiences connect you with a local family from an indigenous community where you can live the ancestral traditions of Oaxaca. Away from the glamour of the Day of the Dead celebrations in the city center, each community honors their deceased ancestors through different traditions. However, the overall vision and spirit of this unique celebration remain the same. We await the return of the souls of our departed loved ones as they journey to the land of the living to spend time with their families and loved ones. Our ancestors return to delight in the essence of all their favorite foods and drinks, which have been placed on altars in their honor.

Teotitlán del Valle is a Zapotec community located in the Central Valleys region, which preserves much of its culture through traditions, the Zapotec language, cuisine, music, rituals, and dance. This picturesque community is nestled in the Tlacolula Valley, just beneath “Cerro El Picacho,” considered a sacred mountain for the community, as archaeological remains have been found at its summit.

During the Day of the Dead, the Zapotec people revere the god Pitao Bezelao as an important deity in their religious pantheon, often associated with the underworld. They worshipped him during times of illness and death, offering chickens and copal, and he was symbolized by the skull, bat, and owl. Furthermore, these sacred days are moments when the Aztec people worship the god Mictlantehcutli, a prominent deity revered as the ruler of Mictlán, the underworld in Aztec cosmology. He is often depicted as a skeletal figure adorned with bones and wearing a skull mask. Mictlantecuhtli symbolizes death, darkness, and the passage to the afterlife. As the guardian of the dead, rituals and offerings were performed to appease him and ensure the safe passage of souls through the treacherous underworld. Your guide will provoke meaningful reflections on these deities, allowing for a deeper understanding of Mesoamerican cosmology.

Our Day of the Dead experience will begin in the main square of Teotitlán, a place filled with history, vibrant colors, and tradition. First, we will visit the market and purchase flowers, fruits, and other decorations to use as offerings to our ancestors on their Day of the Dead altar. In Teotitlán, the arrival of the ancestors crossing into the portal of the living takes place at 3:00 p.m.

On our way to our host family’s house, we will observe some of the changes and modifications that the Zapotec culture was forced to make after the conquest. The arrival of the conquerors profoundly affected the Zapotec cosmological vision, altering the culture’s focus on architecture and religion. Now, Teotitlán is a perfect example of syncretism, which is essentially the combination of pre-Hispanic religions and Catholicism. We will learn how pre-Hispanic festivals and the celebrations of All Saints’ Day brought by the colonizers merged to create the Day of the Dead we know and appreciate today. We will also have the opportunity to examine an astonishing landscape that includes the sacred Cerro Picacho, an ancient Zapotec archaeological site, and the Catholic Church. This powerful viewpoint tells the story of the conquest of Mexico.

After strolling through the cobblestone streets of the community, our host family will warmly welcome us to talk a little about their culture and their Day of the Dead traditions. In Teotitlán, it is a cultural custom to dedicate an entire room in the house to the altar, and we will create a small ritual to honor our ancestors in the afterlife.

At 3:00 p.m., all the doors and windows of the house open, and a deep silence is observed, so powerful that it fills every corner of the home. The spirits have arrived, and they are among us. It is a time to honor their presence and welcome the souls of our loved ones.

We continue our journey with a visit to the local cemetery, where we solemnly walk among the tombs of the deceased as the sun sets over the Oaxaca valley. Afterward, it is tradition to visit the altar of the host family, leaving offerings of flowers, candles, or bread. When our journey comes to an end, we will say goodbye, sincerely thanking our host family for their hospitality.

ACTIVITY ADVISORY

Outdoor activities carry risks, and you may be exposed to dangerous situations as part of this experience. Make sure you can participate safely given your abilities and the conditions (such as location, weather, and equipment).

NOTES:

– Make it private just for your party with the private charter
– Please, check the weather.