October 26 to November 3
2022 Day of the Dead Oaxaca
Itinerary
The creation of the the Day of the Dead tour involved extensive research and careful planning.
We are certain that it will be an enlightening and enjoyable experience for all! Please scroll down for the specific daily activities and events.
Items Included
* 8 nights lodging in a boutique hotel in downtown Oaxaca
* Breakfast served every morning in your hotel
* Dinner or lunch at the best Oaxacan restaurants in town: La Biznaga, El Origen, El Milenario, Casa Oaxaca, Los Danzantes and La Azucena Zapoteca.
* Airport transfers
* Ground transportation within Oaxaca
* Entrance fees to museums, archeological sites and excursions
* English speaking guides
Items Not Included
* Air Fares and Airport Taxes.
* Alcoholic drinks.
* Personal expenses, meals not included in the itinerary, tips and gratuities and other independent tour guides.
* Any other incidentals not listed under “Items Included”
The schedule, activities, excursions and restaurants are subject to change based on availability and other factors not in control of MOCAdventures.
**Our group tours are limited to a maximum of 10 people
Classes and workshops are conducted at Instituto Cultural Oaxaca
The flower of the dead – the sweet-smelling “cempasuchil” (marigolds) – as well as the oil lamps and the white or yellow bees wax candles adorned with black tissue paper are the final decorative accents.
Day of the Dead Oaxaca 2022
Day by Day
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 1
Based on your flight itinerary we will pick you up at Oaxaca’s International Airport. Ground transportation to your hotel will be provided. Thereafter we will hit the streets for an introductory walking tour of Oaxaca City.
Day 2
As every morning during your stay, a delicious breakfast will be served at your hotel. We will give an introductory welcome at the ICO “Instituto Cultural Oaxaca” where you will meet the MOCAdventures staff. You will also learn about “best practices” for being around Oaxaca city. We will have lunch or dinner at one of the top rated restaurants in Oaxaca such as “Los Danzantes”. In the afternoon we will head over to a guided tour where we will visit the beautiful Santo Domingo church, museum and cultural center.
Day 3
We will hit the road for an excursion into the surrounding villages. The trip includes visits to the archeological town of Mitla, also famous for mezcal, Teotitlan del Valle, which is known for their weavings, and Santa Maria el Tule, home of the infamous, grand Tule tree – one of the widest trees in the world. We will enjoy our lunch in “Santa Maria el Tule” at the traditional restaurant “El Milenario”.
Day 4
We will start the day with a tasty breakfast served at the hotel then we will head over to Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca for our hands-on mask making workshop. The masks are a distinct accessory for the “comparsas” (parades that takes place during Día de los Muertos festivities). After this workshop we will visit two culturally significant places in Oaxaca, the first place is the archeological site of “Monte Alban”, once considered the capital of the Zapotec people between the years of 500 B.C. and 800 A.D. The second is Arrazola, a town famous for the production of Alebrijes (woodcarvings). Ending the day with a dinner at La Biznaga, a contemporary restaurant situated in a lovely dimly lit courtyard, serving modern Oaxacan cuisine.
Day 5
The day’s adventures will commence at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca where we will finish-up with our masks. After lunch we will have a guided tour through the main market where you can find the ingredients for the traditional “ Mole Negro” and other local delights. We will also have the opportunity to buy artifacts to build our “ofrenda”. Following the visit to the market, we will build our own ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos. During this activity , it is customary to include pictures of your own departed loved ones. We encourage you to bring them along. Participating in such ritual is an important aspect of embracing the culture’s reverence of life and death. In the afternoon we will join an educational lecture on the importance of the Day of the Dead and the many traditions and customs that are associated with this special day.
Dinner will be at another magnificent restaurant “El Origen”
Day 6
After so much work and dedication we will finally use our masks! Everyone will have the opportunity to participate at the ICO’s traditional Comparsa, a parade celebrating Día de los Muertos through dance, costumes, live music and mezcal! We will have a few free hours in the afternoon. We recommend visiting some of the art galleries, museums, shopping or relaxing in the zocalo. We will meet for dinner at Casa Oaxaca, described as one of best restaurants in Mexico. In the evening we will head over to the cemetery “Xoxocotlan” to first-hand experience the greatly anticipated Dia de los Muertos.
Day 7
We will partake in a traditional cooking class with a traditional cook from Teotitlan de Valle. We will actively participate in the selection of the ingredients at the local market, then we will head over a traditional kitchen where we will prepare a full 3 course meal. Like most women on her village, our cook began making tortillas and learning how to toast “chiles” and grind ingredients on the ”metate” since she was a child. Cooking was a part of her everyday life and she embraced it since an early age.
Day 8
We will have our “Grand Masters” tour visiting world class artisans that have produced some of the most beautiful Oaxacan handcrafts, such as The Aguilar Sisters and Rodolfo Morales in Ocotlan. We will then go to San Martin Tilcajete to visit the studio / gallery of Jacobo Angeles, a famous contemporary woodcarving artist.
We will have a delicious lunch in the beautiful patio at “La Azuncena Zapoteca”. Hand made tortillas will be served! In the afternoon we will visit a traditional distillery where we will learn about the full making process of mezcal, from the agave plantation to the distillation and bottling process. We can’t miss a mezcal tasting at the end of the tour! We will wrap-up the day with a visit to San Bartolo Coyotepec, the capital of the Barro Negro (Black Pottery).
Day 9
We will provide ground transportation to the Airport based on your schedule.
Buen viaje, nos vemos pronto!