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Day 1:
-Fly into León
-Museum of art and history
-Go to Zoo in León
Day 2:
-Festival
Day 3:
-Festival
Day 4:
-Festival
Day 5:
-Escondido Place
Day 6:
-La Esquina Toy Museum

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Join us at the inauguration of the Gran Ofrenda, a collaborative Day of the Dead altar in honor of the writer and photographer Juan Rulfo. This performative piece will feature works from Bellas Artes students and other collaborators. A multi-disciplinary tribute to Juan Rulfo. The central courtyard will be infused with life performance, music, and poetry, surrounding the elements of a traditional ofrenda.

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Gran Ofrenda a Juan Rulfo / Bellas Artes

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Join us at the inauguration of the Gran Ofrenda, a collaborative Day of the Dead altar in honor of the writer and photographer Juan Rulfo. This performative piece will feature works from Bellas Artes students and other collaborators. A multi-disciplinary tribute to Juan Rulfo.

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By Muriel Bevilacqua Logan

As a member of the foreign community here in San Miguel, for 15 years as of the beginning of November, I'm thinking again of the celebration of the Day of the Dead. I've written about this in past years and it has helped, but there are always lots of new people in town, so I re-iterate my comments on how we foreigners participate in this meaningful and most Mexican of holidays. It seems to me there are three levels of celebration.

The most public celebration takes place in the Jardín. Altars are erected to humble and prominent sanmiguelenses, some who made a major contribution to the town and have passed away in this last year. The Jardín is festooned with decorations above and below, including lovely carpets of flowers and colored sawdust or other materials. Everyone strolls there in the evenings to pay respects to those who have passed and to share in this time of honoring them. It seems perfectly natural and appropriate for us to be a part of this event, and some foreigners are inevitably honored alongside the Mexicans. And now we have the La Calaca Festival as well which attracts tourists and invites all to participate.

The totally private part of the fiesta consists of altars being erected in the homes to honor loved ones that the family has lost, not necessarily recently, but whose absence they still feel strongly-their muertitos (little dead ones). A number of people give lectures and even lessons in making altars of this kind, using small mementos, flowers, photos and food and drink beloved of the one that has passed, so we foreigners might understand and participate in this private and personal way of honoring our own loved ones.

The third, sort of semi-public celebration takes place on both November 1 and 2 in the local Panteón, and this is the one I would like to focus on. Families stream into the cemetery all day long on these days, bearing other mementos of their loved ones, as well as armloads of flowers and plants, buckets and water. Here they decorate profusely the gravesites of their muertitos and gather together as a family, eat, pray, play music or reminisce. There is a wide range of beliefs about the practice and meaning of all this. Not all actually expect their dead loved one to join them in this celebratory feast. Some do.

It seems to me a much more appropriate and fulfilling way for foreigners to participate in this part of the fiesta, rather than just coming to the Panteón with our cameras and intruding-some more sensitively than others, where these families are playing out their annual ritual-would be to participate. More than 10 years ago I suggested that we too could bring armloads of flowers and other decorations or mementos to decorate the gravesites in the large section of the Panteón which is reserved for foreigners. On these days of November 1 and 2, this section used to be the saddest of places. It holds the gravesites of many foreigners, some who lived in San Miguel for many years and made outstanding contributions to the community, but whose families and contemporaries are no longer here to celebrate them. Why not change that and make our section of the Panteón glow with remembrance on those days too. That way, we become be participants in a totally appropriate and inclusive way, and not just observers of the annual fiesta.

I have sent this letter to Atencion almost every year for around 10 years and it has made a difference at the Panteon. There are now many flowers on the graves in the foreigners' section. Every year some residents and visitors read it for the first time and contribute in their way. So once again I suggest that we participate in our community in a practical and appropriate way. May you also remember and celebrate your own beloved friends and family who have passed on and participate with the expat community in our shared remembrance.

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By Muriel Bevilacqua Logan As a member of the foreign community here in San Miguel, for 15 years as of the beginning of November, I'm thinking again of the celebration of the Day of the Dead.

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I n Mexico, Day of the Dead is one of the most colorful and charming holidays of the year. It is the time when Mexicans welcome the dead back to earth for a visit, even while mocking death itself.

By the time Cortés and the conquistadores arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs and their ancestors had been celebrating Dia de los Muertos for more than 3000 years. In early August, they would spend nearly a month celebrating the natural cycle of death and rebirth and expecting the souls of those gone away to come home for a spell. The festival involved a lot of skulls.

The Spanish tried to stamp out the age-old pagan ceremony, but like so many indigenous rituals that survive in modern Mexico, buried deep within the trappings of pious Catholicism, Day of the Dead refused to go away. It is still celebrated throughout Mexico on November 1st and 2nd.

All Soul's Day is seen as the time of year when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, the best time for the souls of the departed to slip back home for a visit with the family. And the family does all it can to entice them.

Ofrendas-altars dedicated to the dead-are constructed in public buildings and private homes, in San Miguel de Allende's central Jardín, at the library and radio station, and in kitchens and living rooms all across town. They spill over with fruits and flowers-especially the bright orange marigolds called zempazuchitl- candles and copal incense and colorful sugar skulls. Papel picado, the elaborate Mexican cut paper, drapes the edges.

A picture of the dead person will top the altar, and favorite items, food and beverages are added. Beer is common, but tequila, mescal and even pulque are better. Who wouldn't want to come home to a nice smooth reposado? There's a glass of fresh water to ease the strain of breaking through the death/life barrier (thirsty work, that), and maybe a pack of cigarettes, a favorite candy, or some personal possession such as a pocketknife or keyring.

Pan de Muerto-Special Day of the Dead Bread

And always, pan de muerto-"bread of the dead." Bakeries all over San Miguel will be working overtime to turn out sufficient quantities of this very special seasonal delicacy. Pan de muerto will be on every altar and most family tables, and it can be on yours too. You can easily make it at home with this recipe for Pan de Muerto. The ofrenda is both a Day of the Dead remembrance and a lure. It helps the living remember and celebrate the life of the dead, but it also tempts the souls to come home. To help the wandering dead remember the way, a path of marigold petals leads from the street into the house and up to the altar with all its goodies.

The Cemetery-Celebration and Remembrance

On November 1st, the action moves to the cemetery. In San Miguel de Allende, the Pantheón on Ancha de San Antonio will be bustling for days beforehand with people streaming in and out with buckets and mops, rakes and hoes, fresh flowers and candles. Graves will be freshly whitewashed, weeds pulled, tombs decorated.

By mid-afternoon, the crowds pour in for an all-day party and an all-night vigil. Hundreds of candles provide light, mariachis and brass bands provide the music. Picnic baskets spill dinner and snacks, bottles are passed around. Kids play then fall asleep on the ground.

It might seem like a day that concentrates on death would be somber and silent. But remember, this is Mexico! Dia de los Muertos is a warm and happy day-for remembering tender moments, smiling memories. It's day to celebrate who and what they were.

It's also a day to mock the very idea of death. Historically, Mexico was a country where death often came early and hard. When death is easy, the best defense against the pain is to laugh in its face. And so Mexicans invented calacas, those charming figures of skeletons in every conceivable daily situation-getting drunk in the cantina, getting married in the church, dancing at a party, playing in a park, popping up out of a coffin. These small tableaus are one of the most delightful of Mexican folk arts.

In San Miguel de Allende, a special Day of the Dead market fills the plaza just down the broad stairs from Plaza Civica for the two weeks or so before the holiday. Colorful sugar skulls, carved wood skeleton puppets, miniature coffins and every type of calaca are found here. It's a great place to stock up on holiday supplies and pick up wonderful souvenirs of a San Miguel stay.

Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende might turn out to be the high point of your stay. It has been for me.

Go from Day of the Dead to November Events in San Miguel

Check out the Pan de Muerto Recipe here

BACK to Experience San Miguel home

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day of the dead in san miguel de allende

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I n Mexico, Day of the Dead is one of the most colorful and charming holidays of the year. It is the time when Mexicans welcome the dead back to earth for a visit, even while mocking death itself.

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Last year when we were in San Miguel de Allende we had just missed the Day of the Dead celebration. A few colorful remnants on the streets were left from the festivities, leaving the rest of the fun to our imagination. Needless to say we started planning right then and there to get back to San Miguel De Allende for Dia De Los Muertos 2015. Our excitement and anticipation built all year. We came with costumes, make up and our walking shoes but nothing prepared us for the energy and beauty that filled the streets of San Miguel for the La Calaca Festival.

El Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico November 1st and 2nd honoring deceased loved ones. The people of Mexico believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on November 1, and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to join the party!

During the La Calaca festival all of San Miguel turns into a party with colorful flags, open air art markets, music on every corner and people roaming the streets in their skeleton faces.

We dressed as Catrina brides and took the streets by storm. Heading to The Rosewood Hotel for the start of The Catrina's Parade where we were joined by hundreds of others dressed in the most elaborate costumes. We danced through the streets to Mariachi bands with the "moligangas" (giant Paper Mache puppets) twirling in and around the crowd. On lookers lined the streets and cheered us on and the happy festive parade ended in El Jardin where the party continued into the night.

On November 2nd, the festivities are taken to the cemetery! We hopped in cab and headed 5 minutes outside the center of town to Guadalupe Cemetery to join in the celebration. We stopped at the pop up market outside the cemetery to buy flowers to honor our ansestors. Families were pouring in for the all-day party which included Mariachi bands, thousands of flowers, picnic baskets, hundreds of candles, and people reminiscing about their loved ones.

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EVERYONE in town prepares an alter! They are decorated with candles, bunches of wild marigolds and bright red cock's combs, mounds of fruit, and pan de muerto. The alter needs to have lots of food, bottles of soda, hot cocoa and water for the weary spirits. Toys and candies are left for the angelitos and on Nov. 2, cigarettes and shots of mescal are offered to the adults spirits.

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During La Calaca, the evenings are a magical time to be out on the streets. The festival comes alive with the most beautiful faces of the Catrinas and all of those who are ready to party.

Tips for a Successful Dia De Los Muertos

Bring your costume with you, the more elaborate the better

Plan on getting your face painted in El Jardin or Parque Juarez (get in line early)

Bring comfortable walking shoes, the cobblestones of San Miguel don't appreciate heels

Buy your flower crowns for $7 from the ladies crafting them under the arches in the El Jardin

Participate or Line the streets for The Catrinas Parade, which starts at The Rosewood Hotel

Rent a house in Centro, fill it with flowers!

Visit the cemetery on November 2 (you can buy flowers just outside the entrance)

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Celebrating Dia De Los Muertos: San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

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Last year when we were in San Miguel de Allende we had just missed the Day of the Dead celebration. A few colorful remnants on the streets were left from the festivities, leaving the rest of the fun to our imagination.

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These are a few particular foods that are traditionally associated with the Day of the Dead season in Mexico. These dishes are prepared and eaten at this time of year, and also placed on altars as offerings for the spirits who, it is believed, visit their loved ones on this one day of the year and consume the essence of the foods that are laid out for them. After the holiday has passed, the living ​dismantle the altar and may eat whatever foods remain, although these are said to have lost much of their flavor because the dead have already consumed the essential part of it. This holiday is a mixture of Catholic and native Mesoamerican beliefs and customs, and the foods that are associated with the holiday developed out of a combination of those different traditions.

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7 Traditional Mexican Day of the Dead Dishes

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Learn about the history and meaning of some of the foods that are associated with the Day of the Dead season in Mexico.

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10 Interesting Facts about the Day of the Dead

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If you truly want to experience an authentic Day of the Dead commemoration, you need to head to Mexico. Stay in City Express!

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Presentaccion

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