Day of the Dead Preparations in Mitla & Teotitlán

Join us on this unique experience in Mitla & Teotitán, preparing for Day of the Dead and learning about the culture of traditional medicine in the region.

Date: Thurs Oct 30/Schedule: 9am-6pm

Spaces available: 4/Cost per person: $185 USD/3,475 MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable and safe transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Breakfast at our favorite spot in El Tule, brief visit to the Tule tree

• Travel to Mitla to participate in building an altar with a local family in their home, learning about the traditions of Day of the Dead in this community which is the most important spiritual place for the holiday in the Zapotec and Aztec cultures

• Lunch at the home of an antiques collector, learning about the pieces and history of mezcal in the region accompanied by our selection of traditional mezcal

• Visit to Mitla ruins (entrance fee included 30 free time at ruins)

• Travel to Teotitlán del Valle where will have a class with our community partners about the different plants used in traditional medicine and natural dyes, learning about the history and current use of these plants

• Natural dye and weaving demonstration

• Participate in a limpia (spiritual cleansing)

• A chance to buy rugs directly from the women's cooperative (price not included)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Day of the Dead preparations in Ocotlán & Tilcajete

Ready to live the traditions of Day of the Dead? October 30th is of the most important days in Oaxaca as fresh flowers like cempasuchil and borla are harvested for altars, chocolate and mole production are in full swing, and families are starting the preparations for their altars. We will experience the preparations in two towns in the Ocotlán valley, learning about in participating in the traditions in the market and with two families.

Date: Thurs Oct 30/Schedule: 11am-8pm

Spaces available: 6/Cost per person: $185 USD/3,475 MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable and safe transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Visit to the Ocotlán market for supplies of the dead including bread, fruit, incense, and sugar cane

• Mole lunch at the Ocotlán market

• Visit to the home of a local family where we will learn about the traditions of the region and the elements that go into an altar

• Visit to an alebrije workshop where we will have a demonstration of the process of making these intricate carved and painted fantastical animals

• Farm to table dinner in a marigold field made by our hosts at the alebrije workshop

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to local children´s library

Real Minero & Ocotlán Market Day

Our Real Minero tour is extra special this time of year when many mezcal producers in the region are making mezcal de pechuga to honor the visiting souls and we will get a chance to try some of this special mezcal. The Ocotlán weekly market will be extra special as people are purchasing all of their materials for altars, mole, and chocolate.

Date: Fri, Oct 31 /Scheudule: 9am-5pm

Spaces available: 2/Cost per person: $165 USD/3,100 MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable and safe transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Breakfast en route of our favorite tamales from a thrid generation tamal maker and the season´s freshest fruit

• Visit to the agave garden and palenque of our community partners at Real Minero mezcal

• Tour of Proyecto LAM, an agave garden and nursery where we will learn about the agaves and wood used in mezcal production as well as medicinal herbs used for healing mezcals. The Angeles Carreño family has been making mezcal since 1898 and has a sustainability plan that carries them through the next 100 years of their family´s production. Working with 22 diferent types of agaves, we will learn about their work in conserving agaves that are native to Oaxaca, their commitment to organic practices and agroforestry, as well as the creation of the world´s first community agave seed bank.

• Tour of the Real Minero palenque, where the family produces small batch mezcal using traditional methods including natural fermentaion. We learn about the unique techniques used in Santa Catarina Minas such as distilling in double clay pot stills

• Sit down tasting of Minero mezcal made on site. Each person will get to try 4 unique mezcals, learning how to taste and identify a traditional mezcal

• A chance to purchase mezcal directly from Real Minero (price not included), many batches which are only available for purchase in Mexico. Our help packing it for travel

• Lunch at Ocotlán market of regional dishes such as mole, empanadas de amarillo, tejate, and enchiladas

• Tour of the Ocotlán weekly Friday market. Some historians estimate that this weekly market has been happening in this town for the last 5,000-7,000 years. Today the weekly market continues to be an important economic and cultural hub of the Ocotlan valley. Many vendors come from the surrounding areas only on Fridays to sell organic vegetables, native chilies, aguamiel, smoked fish from the coast, and handmade crafts such as embroidered blouses, clay chilimoleras, and rope made of agave fibers. Sample of local delicacies such as boiled camotes with local honey and jamoncillo, a coconut and brown sugar dessert

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to Biblioteca El Rosario

Teotitlán Chocolate Making Workshop

Join us in the preparations for Day of the Dead in Teotitlán del Valle! We prepare hot chocolate which is one of the most important ways to welcome visitors to your home during the celebration. We will visit the morning market which is in full swing where people are stocking up on the necessities to build their altar and welcome guests to their homes.

Date: Fri, Oct 31/Scheudule: 9am-3pm

Spaces available: 6/Cost per person: $155 USD/2,900 MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable round trip transportation from Oaxaca city (40 mins each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Visit to village market

• Breakfast at the market of local delicacies like chotolate atole, tamales, memelas, and tepache

• Learn to make traditional chocolate from scratch with a cocinera tradicional, toasting the cacao, grinding it by hand on the metate, and forming it into bars to be used in cooking and hot chocolate

• Enjoy hot chocolate from the chocolate we prepare

• Take home some of the chocolate we make

• Lunch of local delicacies prepared by our hosts

• Learn about the Day of the Dead tradition from our hosts including how they build their altar the role of chocolate in the celebration

• Rug weaving and natural dye demonstration

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Día de los Muertos in Teotitlán & Mitla

Saying Goodbye to the Souls in Teotitlán & Mitla

Join us in taking part in the celebrations of Day of the Dead in the Zapotec communities of Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla where we are invited into our community partner´s homes to welcome the souls, learn about their traditions, view altars, visit graveyards, and feast on dishes of the season such as mole and tamales.

Date: Sat, Nov 1/Schedule: 9am-8pm

Spaces available: 4/Cost per person: $185 USD/3,475 MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable and safe transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Participate in the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations in the homes of our community partners in Teotitlán

• Learn about natural dyes, weaving, and beeswax candle making directly from the artisans

• Visit to the cemetery and participate in the creation of the altar, learn about Day of the Dead traditions in Teotitlán

• Travel to Mitla to participate in their Day of the Dead festivities and visit traditional altars in family homes

• Lunch and dinner of traditional dishes served during this holiday (moles, tamales, hot chocolate, bread)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Join us in taking part in the celebrations of Day of the Dead in the Zapotec communities of Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla where we are invited into our community partner´s homes to say farewell to the souls, learn about their traditions, view altars, visit graveyards, and feast on dishes of the season such as mole and tamales.

Date: Sun, Nov 2/Schedule: 9am-7pm

Spaces available: 4/Cost per person: $185 USD/3,475MXN

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable and safe transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way). Pick up and drop off from your hotel or vacation rental (Centro, Jalatlaco, Xochimilico, Reforma, San Felipe)

• Travel to Mitla to participate in their Day of the Dead festivities and visit traditional altars in family homes

• Participate in the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations in the homes of our community partners in Teotitlán

• Visit to the cemetery and learn about Day of the Dead traditions in Teotitlán

• Natural dye and weaving rug weaving demonstrating with the first women’s cooperative in the community

• Visit to to beeswax candlemakers, learning about their craft and their role in this holiday

• Breakfast and lunch of traditional dishes served during this holiday (moles, tamales, hot chocolate, bread)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Increased Traffic Advisory During Day of the Dead

• Downtown Oaxaca is a maze of one way streets and gets gridlocked with the increased traffic during this season. While we will do our best to stay true to pick up/drop off times we reserve the right to pick you up and drop off in a 15 minute window before or after the start time of the outing (if the pickup time is 9:00am depending on your location we might need to pick you up at 8:45am or 9:15am)

• While we do our best to drop you off at your hotel, traffic often becomes impenetrable in the evenings during this season due to parades that close the streets. We may have to drop you off a few blocks away from your destination. If you are carrying heavy purchases from the outing we will be happy to drop it off later that evening or early the next day

• Please do not make dinner reservations close to your estimated drop off time in Oaxaca (ex: your drop off time is 7:00pm, don´t make reservations until 8-8:30pm) as many of the experiences during this time become immersive and we may not be able to strictly adhere to drop off times. We will also be feasting throughout the day and you may not be hungry close to your drop off time. Please let us know if we need to be mindful of any dinner reservations you may have

Groups and Prices

• All of the experiences listed during this season are Open Outings for up 2-6 participants or in the case of Atzompa up to 12 paticipants.

• If you would like a Private Outing for your group only, we can only accommodate groups of 6 or more at no extra cost. Please write to us here to learn more.

• All experiences are bilingual (Spanish/English).