Let’s chat all things Day of the Dead in Merida to ensure you have a great experience. We will discuss what happens in Merida over Day of the Dead, why it happens and how you, as a visitor, can get involved. Day of the Dead Merida style is a completely different experience from Day of the Dead in central Mexico, Oaxaca or Mexico City. 

I lived in Mérida for 6 years and my kids spent their formative years here, imbibing local traditions. We still make an altar in our home every year and see it as a beautiful part of Mérida we carry with us.

Day of the Dead: Mérida style

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📌 The celebration isn’t actually called Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos or Dia de Muertos in Spanish) on the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s called Hanal Pixan (also written as Janal Pixan or Hanal Pixán, pronounced han-awl pish-aan), the Mayan name of the festival.

Hanal Pixan means “food for the souls” or “food of the souls” and that’s really what this festival is about, offering your deceased family members their favorite foods in order to welcome them back from the spirit world. 

​It’s important to understand that traditionally, Day of the Dead in Mérida has been a more muted or sombre affair than in Día de los Muertos in the rest of Mexico. Here, local families honor their ancestors quietly and in the family home.

In recent years, the festival has started to take on a more “Mexican” feel and now you’ll see recognizable Day of the Dead celebrations as you would elsewhere in Mexico.

When is Day of the Dead in Merida

🗓 This is officially a three-day celebration over October 31st, November 1st and November 2nd. There will be events all over town in the week leading up to the Festival de las Ánimas (festival of the souls) and the two big parades generally take place on the weekend closest to the dates.

⭐️ The official parade dates are often not announced until early October so you’ll need to book your trip having confidence that dates will be announced.  

➡️ I recommend arriving at least a week before the festivities begin to soak up the atmosphere and explore the Yucatan and stay a little into November to ensure you miss nothing. 

October 31 is U Hanal Palal – the day for remembering children who have died. In the rest of Mexico you’ll see this referred to as Día de los Innocentes or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels).

November 1 is called U Hanal Nucuch Uinicoob – the day for remembering adults who have died.

November 2 is  U Hanal Pixanoob – the day dedicated to both adults and children who have died.

➕ 30 November sees the Yucatecans bidding farewell to their ancestors with prayers and offerings of sweet breads, chocolate, and pib. Candles are lit to illuminate the way back to the spirit world.

What to do during Day of the Dead in Mérida

This is a fascinating time of year to visit Mérida as the Mayan people have kept their ancient traditions alive. Mérida is a great place to really learn about Hanal Pixan and how it has been celebrated since pre-hispanic times. 

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Eat traditional food

Mucbipollo / Pib

This is a type of tamal where masa (corn dough), espelón beans, epazote and chicken is cooked in banana leaves in an underground pit. Local people eagerly await pib season because this stuff is just so delicious. Your best chance of trying it is at the annual Pib Festival, which is generally held the weekend before Hanal Pixan on Parque San Sebastian.

Sugar skulls

While sugar skulls don’t make it onto the traditional ofrendas (altars) here in Yucatan, they’re still available to purchase in the market should you wish to see or buy some.

Pan de muerto

Pan de muerto varies from region to region. The Yucatecan pan de muerto is absolutely delicious. It’s essentially a large slightly orange flavored sweet bread covered in sugar and decorated with a skull and crossbones (made out of dough). These are available generally from around September. My personal favorite in Mérida comes from Monique’s Bakery in the north of the city (be warned, they’re addictive).

Xec

This is citrus salad made of orange, jicama, cilantro, mandarin and grapefruit all cut up and covered with tajin (a sweet chile powder).

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Visit the Market

Visit Mercado Lucas de Galvez to gaze at all the Hanal Pixan items on sale and see how people prepare for the Day of the Dead festival in Merida: You’ll see the traditional sugar skulls, and candies, papel picado (despite it not being used much in Yucatán) and more.

While you’re there, why not pick up some good value traditional Hanal Pixan clothing (huipiles for women and guayaberas for the men) to wear to the Paseo de los Animas so you’ll be appropriately dressed.

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Visit the plaza grande (the main square) 

It’s always worth visiting Mérida’s plaza grande since this is the heart of the city. Here you’ll find the cathedral, the Palacio Municipal and the city’s oldest ice-cream shop – Dulceria y Sorbeteria Colón.

During the Day of the Dead festivities the local government puts on a number of events on the plaza including an altar competition and dance evenings as well as the other regular free events in Mérida (video mapping, dances, traditional sports displays).

Altar Competition

It’s important to know that altars tend to be more muted here in Merida than elsewhere in Mexico. Altars are not covered in colorful papel picado and bright colors, which can mean you have to look harder to see the beauty, but I assure you, it’s there. The beauty is in the love and care, in the detail and in the deep tradition.

People in Maya villages were traditionally buried under their homes so altars in this region tend to be in the home rather than out on the street. This is very much a family affair. There are fewer altars set up in shops and restaurants than in places as in other parts of Mexico such as Oaxaca city or San Miguel de Allende but here on the plaza during the competition you’ll get a good idea of what a traditional altar looks like.

Dance performances

On the main plaza in the week leading up to the festival there will be a traditional dance performance one evening. Be sure to get there early or you won’t get a seat. Dates for events like this will most likely be released in October 2024.

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Desfile de la Catrinas

New to Merida in 2022 was the Desfile de las Catrinas, a parade that begins at the Monumento a la Patria at the top of the beautiful Paseo de Montejo, moves along the Paseo to the Remate (where there is dancing) and into the centro historico.

This is not a typical Yucatecan festival but more about local government moving to incorporate Day of the Dead traditions from central Mexico into Yucatan to give visitors the experience they might be expecting. Basically this is a parade of catrinas that is great fun to watch but it really doesn’t have deep roots in the culture of Yucatán.

📌The catrina image was created by José Guadalupe Posada as a commentary on upper class Mexican society. It was adopted by the famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera and can be seen in his works too as well as now being an integral part of Day of the Dead imagery across Mexico.

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Visit the cemetery

It is possible to visit the Mérida cemetery alone during the day at any time of year and there are once weekly night tours in Spanish offered too. Over the Day of the Dead period, there are more regular tours with local guides offered. As long as you visit with respect and curiosity there is nothing wrong with visiting a cemetery.

Paseo de las Animas (Parade of the Souls)

This is Mérida’s main event – the Parade of the Souls through the city from the Cementerio General (the general cemetery) all the way to the Arco de San Juan (Arc of San Juan) via La Ermita. The route follows the Corredor de las Ánimas along which you’ll see altars, be able to buy food and drink, hear music and generally enjoy an amazing atmosphere.

On La Ermita everyone gathers to party and listen to live bands play. The parade begins in the cemetery. You, as a visitor cannot officially be in the parade but you can follow along with everyone else. Everyone in the parade will be in traditional attire, with their faces painted and carrying a candle. It’s a beautiful site to see. 

Insider’s Tip: La Ermita Botanical Gardens – during the Paseo de las Animas you can take a peek inside these often closed gardens on La Ermita. Local businesses set up altars here and they’re generally fascinatingly specific to their business. (this is a true insider tip by the way – non-locals rarely know about this).

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See the Camino de Flores

It has become traditional in Mérida for there to be a Day of the Dead Camino de flores (flower path). You can generally find this in the Pasaje de la Revolucíon, which is next to the cathedral on the plaza grande.

What else can you do in Yucatán

➡️ Explore the beaches, cenotes and ruins of Yucatán

➡️ Visit the pueblos magicos such as Valladolid or Izamal

➡️ Head to Quintana Roo (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Bacalar)

➡️ Take the new Maya train to Campeche and Calakmul

➡️ Take a road trip around Yucatán