“The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
~Marcus Tullius Cicero~
It’s about that time of year for DIA DE LOS MUERTOS (Day of the Dead)!
Last October/November, I had the opportunity to travel to central Mexico with an amazing friend I met rafting on the Grand Canyon.
There were several objectives for the trip: 1) She wanted to scope out potential towns for retirement (she also has this obsession with the smell of automobile exhaust – true statement – haha), 2) We both wanted to find some amazing silver jewelry, 3) We wanted to authentically experience the Dia de Los Muertos celebrations and, 4) Experience a road trip in central Mexico.
What is Dia De Los Muertos? If you don’t know what Dia de Los Muertos is (I didn’t fully understand it until this trip), it’s a Mexican holiday whereby family and friends gather to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Those who celebrate it believe that at midnight on October 31, the souls of all deceased children come down from heaven and reunite with their families on November 1, and the souls of deceased adults come visit on November 2. I’m telling you, the movie Coco will educate you on the entire celebration – I’ve watched it 3 times already!
The visitations are said to occur at an altar via an Ofrenda. The Ofrendas generally consist of many things: 1) Their photos to identify who is being invited to the altar, 2) Religious artifacts, 3) Favorite foods and drinks to make them feel at home when they arrive at the altar, 4) Lit candles and sometimes soap/water so the spirit of the deceased can see and refresh themselves upon arrival at the altar, 5) Incense to keep evil spirits away, 6) Calaveras or sugar skulls, and 7) Marigolds to lead the spirits to the altar. (Thank you Wikipedia!)
Calavera Catrina Traditional Ofrenda A kitty Ofrenda
Our adventure started at the Mexico City airport where we rented a car. The one unsettling thing besides actually driving in this gi-normous city is hearing the rental car attendant tell us, “I hope you know how to change a flat tire. No-one will stop to help”. Nice, we couldn’t wait for that flat tire…and no, I have no clue how to change one.
Our first stop was Puebla, roughly a two hour drive from Mexico City. Puebla is a Colonial town with a historic center crowned a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This second largest city in colonial Mexico, is full of surprises from beautiful hotels, Talavera pottery, doors, markets, churches and some of the most delicious mole chicken on the planet. How the heck they make it so tender is beyond my comprehension – then again, I don’t cook. We stayed near the El Centro part of town. In fact, we chose the central parts of every town we visited for convenience. No regrets!
Catedral de Puebla City market – if looks could kill. lol Colonial colors and tiles Beautiful doors Talavera Pottery – modern Cool bars and restaurants all over town
Everyone talks about safety while traveling in Mexico – thoughts of what could go wrong definitely lingered in the back of my mind. The one thing I completely wanted to avoid was getting lost on a back road…and guess what happened? We got lost on a remote back road driving from Puebla to Cuernavaca!!! I was in the back seat while another friend was navigating. I made the mistake of not helping and next thing I knew we were on a dirt road in the middle of central Mexico!! Gah!
There seemed to be dirt road construction everywhere which conveniently blocked our direct route to the “freeway”. Every road had deep potholes (back to the flat tire issue), and took us to a dead end. After about an hour of trying not to completely freak, we finally saw what we needed and literally bushwhacked our way to the road.

A few hours and many episodes of the Dirty John podcast later, we made our way to Cuernavaca in good spirits, laughing about our adventure without a gruesome death (funny, but kinda not). Here, we immersed ourselves in the Dia De Los Muertos culture. We hired a guide who took us to a little town about an hour outside of the city. We experienced an official community Ofrenda – with less than 10 other tourists in sight – it was soooo much fun!
Essentially, the home of a recently deceased loved one hosts a neighborhood “dinner” of sorts, this one with tacos and homemade liquor – probably the deceased’s favorite meal/drink. Honestly, I don’t know what the liquor was made of, but I couldn’t NOT try it. We lined up and paid our respects to the deceased and their family. It was incredible to be a part of this tradition.
We ended our night sitting in plastic chairs outside of a seedy bar drinking Coronas; the owners trying to make us feel comfortable by playing Linda Ronstadt. LOL. Somehow I didn’t take that many photos in this town….boo
Robert Brady Museum Day of the Dead Parade – No Bullets in that Gun! Street Art
From Cuernavaca, we drove to Taxco. Mind you, we took the major toll roads throughout this trip for safety reasons – I would NOT recommend taking the cheaper toll roads in Mexico. Taxco is in the Mexican state of Guerrero (think Acapulco) which happens to be on the US Department of State as a level 4 – “Do not travel” list. Im pretty sure that means if something happens to us here, we are SOL. Perhaps we tempted fate – but we went anyway.
When we arrived, the first thing we noticed were the white VW beetles everywhere – the taxis. We had a blast in this town!! We found our most favorite jewelry in Taxco which is known for its silver and traipsed up and down the cobblestone streets until dusk. The only unsettling thing we encountered were the armed guards with machine guns lining the town square. We had not seen this at all up until this point in the trip.
Taxis! Taxi in the making Side street Plaza Borda View of Taxco from the top of the city
We finally ended our adventure (without incident) in Mexico City watching Coco at a swank hotel – couldn’t think of a better way to end the trip! Mexico City is full of fantastic shopping, restaurants, museums, etc. We didn’t spend much time here, another visit needs to be put on the books to fully explore this city.
Paseo de la Reforma Frida Khalo Museum Frida Y Diego – LOL
In the end we achieved nearly every one of our goals except the retirement part….we will be on our way to Chiapas this winter to continue the hunt for the perfect retirement community!
Viva Mexico!
Pam
What a totally interesting country Mexico looks to be. I love the idea of day of the dead festival, the sugar skull makeup looks terrific. It is something that is taking off in Australia too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do love Mexico – it can be a little dicey for sure. You have to watch travel advisories, etc. Lots of drug-related crimes – it’s so sad really. But, as you say, it is super interesting and fun – the food is fantastic too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the days of the dead, one of my favourite festivals. Mexico is on my list of places I would love to visit, hopefully one day, very much enjoyed reading your post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh thank you for reading! I love this festival too, especially after understanding what it was all about. I hope you make it there too!
LikeLike
Now THAT was an adventure Pam. Amazing. Loved The images, you truly gave us the grand tour
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Tina! We loved it. Every day brought a new, authentic adventure…which is why I love Mexico so much! It’s so much more convenient for us then say, Nepal or Southeast Asia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh it sounds like you had a fabulous time! And wonderful photos. We love Mexico, and have spent several months there in various places, but never done a road trip. Kudos!
Alison
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had such a blast. 3 middle aged women making their way through México in a Toyota Camry… 😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dia de los Muertos is one particular enchanting moment to experience while in Mexico. “Coco” was made beautifully and fabulously retales what it means to Mexican people and shows all the lovely celebrations, traditions, meanings that go with it. I’m so glad you go to experience it all first hand!
As for retirement plans: I’m pretty sure you’ll find your treasures in Chiapas! San Cristobal de las Casas has this vibe that catches everyone traipsing the city for the first time… A shame the sea is so far away, though… But for a mountain lover, there’s no better place to be! (or on Holbox island! 😉
So glad I get to see you soon so we can talk about travels, ideas, dreams and next adventures!
xoxoxo
Jul’
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks girl! Did I describe everything correctly??!! I remember some of your photos from Chiapas – they were incredible! Cannot wait to see your smiling face soon my friend ❤️💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
You did perfectly well, Pam! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person