Mérida is getting ready to celebrate the traditions of Hanal Pixán and Day of the Dead.
The sprawling annual Festival de las Ánimas stretches from Tuesday, Oct. 24 to Thursday, Nov. 2.
Starting Sunday, Oct. 29, the city’s monumental altar will be erected on the Plaza Grande.
But more personal altars will appear along the streets of the Paseo de las Animás, the procession that anchors the entire festival.
Costumed participants will crowd the streets on Friday, Oct. 27, starting 6 p.m. at the General Cemetery and winding its way through La Ermita and San Juan. It’s a haunting and beautiful parade that has grown exponentially ever since the city popularized it in 2008.
Guided tours of the General Cemetery, with its colorful crypts and elaborate monuments, take place at 6 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24; Thursday, Oct. 26; Saturday, Oct 28; and Sunday, Oct. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31. Guides speak Spanish and English.
A parade and Night of Catrinas take over the Paseo de Montejo at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.
Video: The best part of the Festival de la Ánimas
A special Biciruta de Ánimas is set for 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, Oct. 29 on the Paseo de Montejo, Plaza Grande and La Ermita. The Mucbipollo Fair, presenting Yucatán’s most iconic Hanal Pixán meal — it resembles a giant tamale — will also feature live music from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 at San Sebastián park. Get there before noon, because food tends to run out early.
On Monday, Oct. 30, the Vaquería de las Ánimas will take place at the Plaza Grande at 9 p.m.
The entire schedule and more details are here, or download the schedule (in Spanish) below.
