After Mexico City, I headed south to my second city in Mexico, Oaxaca. Oaxaca is the capital city of the Oaxaca region and I’d heard many good things about it, especially as a place to be for Día de los Muertos. I was super happy I found accommodation and was there for it!
I was in Oaxaca for pretty much a week, arriving as decorations and altars were being set up and for the main three days: 31st, 1st and 2nd.
What I got up to…
I didn’t really get up to much in the run up to Day of the Dead. I found Oaxaca a really nice place just to be – wandering the streets and markets, viewing altars and decorations, watching parades…
Side note: Prepare for picture overload…sorry!
31st November – Xoxo Cemetery
On the 31st, a group of us, who’d met at Casa Pepe in Mexico City, went to the main cemetery (Panteón General) in the city. I loved all the candles!
Tip: The Panteón General closes at 10pm. We didn’t know this and arrived just before. We only had time for a quick walk before we were ushered out. Go before 10pm!
Little did we know then that the Panteón General wouldn’t be the only cemetery we’d visit that night. After leaving, we met up with others outside and caught a taxi to Xoxocotlán, 20mins from Oaxaca City. Best spontaneous decision!!
The Xoxo cemetery was absolutely incredible! Full of candles, flowers, music, people, laughter, remembrance and life! Truly stunning to see! I’ve never seen nor experienced a cemetery in that light before.
Walking around, seeing families gathered around graves remembering, celebrating and connecting with their lost loved one was beautiful and touching. I never wanted to leave!
Tip: The night to visit the Xoxo cemetery is the 31st, when most families gather.
1st November – San Etla
For the 1st November, we were told the town of San Etla was the place to be. When we asked when to go, the answer was now! So off we hurried! We arrived to Nazareno Etla around 7pm to find everything quite quiet.
We were slightly sceptical as to whether we’d gone to the right place but decided to hang out a bit, eat tacos and see what happened. In hindsight, we should have known that nothing in Mexico starts until later and arrived much much later after a nap!
Anyhow, after tacos, we walked further up into town and found more people and a parade. The costumes were definitely more Halloweeny and gruesome than the night before and what we’d been seeing in other parades. It was good to see but none of us were really feeling it or fancied waiting even longer for things to start.
On our drive back to Oaxaca, the road was heaving with cars arriving – more proof that things were happening in Etla, just not until much later! It also looked like a whole night event. Getting back was fine for us, but I imagine if you were trying to return around 1am it would be difficult!
Colectivo taxi: We were charged 35 pesos each to get to Nazareno Etla. It was supposed to be 20 each but we didn’t get the right colectivo for Nazareno Etla. The return journey was 50 pesos each and I imagine more when coming back even later or early hours of the morning. The drivers hike up their prices.
Note: San Agustin Etla seemed to be the place to go! We didn’t realise there were multiple Etlas – classic!
We returned to Oaxaca and went for drinks!
2nd November – Finally got our faces painted
We got our faces painted – well half! I was a teensy but reluctant to do so at the start as I didn’t want to be the ignorant tourist. Tourists and locals were doing it alike and I decided it would be a regret if I didn’t, so on the last afternoon Rosie and I got our faces done (well half!).
We also returned to the Panteón General cemetery and went to Zapotec bar for live music. The live music was amazing! The guy gave off Freddie Mercury vibes!
I found out later that San Felipe del Agua cemetery, which is a 20min taxi ride from the centre, was the cemetery to visit that evening. I’m sad I missed it, it looked beautiful and I would’ve liked to have a seen a smaller cemetery. Oh well! I’m over it now!
Other things to do in Oaxaca
Mercado 20 de Noviembre
If you like food, go to this market! There’s so many food stalls and prices are very decent. It’s a great place to try typical Oaxacan dishes. I had a Tlayuda (the Mexican version of a pizza with black beans, Oaxacan cheese, salad, avocado and meat) and it was oh so good!
Botanical Garden
The botanical garden is near Santo Domingo church. Rosie and I planned to visit; however we didn’t realise it was only open at certain times and you couldn’t walk around independently. We ended up getting our faces painted instead! If I return to Oaxaca, I’d visit!
Tours leave at certain times and cost 50 pesos in Spanish and 100 pesos in English. You can check the Que Pasa Oaxaca website for more details.
Jalatlaco neighbourhood
The Jalatlaco neighbourhood is worth a wander. The streets are pretty and decorated with flowers and altars for Day of the Dead.
The Oaxacan Painters Museum
Close to Zocalo is the Oaxacan Painters Museum. For Day of the Dead, the museum had a big sand sculpture on show. I really liked it and at night candles were lit in the eyes of the skulls.
Entrance: It was free the first time I went to see the sand sculpture. The next day I went they asked for a donation.
The Central Library
For Day of the Dead, Oaxaca’s Central Library set up altars from different areas in the region. It’s a good place to see lots of altars in one place and was interesting to see how they slightly differ.
Staying in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos is a hugely popular event in Mexico, and Oaxaca is one of best places to experience it.
If you’d like to be in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead, the easiest thing to do for your peace of mind is book the dates in advance. I can’t stress this enough! I went to book a month in advance and Hostelworld was coming up blank then.
I was lucky and found solutions so don’t worry if you find yourselves in a similar situation – only realising you’ll be in Mexico around a month before Day of the Dead. There’s still a high chance that you’ll find a place to stay! My top two tips for those would be…
Tip 1: If you’re late booking accommodation for Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, don’t lose hope. Keep checking Hostelworld for cancellations. I had friends in Mexico City who managed to get a hostel in Oaxaca a week before Day of the Dead by constantly checking Hostelworld for late cancellations.
Tip 2: Email the hostels directly and ask if there is a waiting list or whether they can notify you if there is a cancellation. The second hostel I stayed at, Luz de Luna, replied to my email stating they only took bookings directly via email and not on Hostelworld for Day of the Dead. Whilst it wasn’t the greatest hostel, it helped me get two nights accommodation. Likewise, my first hostel, Hostal Central (which I’d really recommend!), emailed me when a cancellation came through and I was able to book a bed on Hostelworld. I really appreciated it!
Tip: Also remember there are other alternatives: Airbnb, Couchsurfing and hotels.
How to get to Oaxaca
You can reach Oaxaca from many places in Mexico. On the backpacker travel route, some common places will be from Mexico City, San Cristobal and Puerto Escondido.
The journeys are easy with ADO buses, but long given the distances!
From Mexico City, there are frequent departures every day from the TAPO bus station with an approx journey time of 7/8hrs. I didn’t fancy another night bus so took the 9am bus, arriving to Oaxaca around 3pm. Faster than I expected! Prices vary depending on time and if you get a discounted rate from buying a ticket several days in advance (I paid 483 pesos – £20 approx). Check the app for up to date prices and times.
From San Cristobal, you’re looking at a longer journey – around 11/12hrs. Departures are mainly in the evenings, so it’ll be a night bus.
From Puerto Escondido, there are two options for reaching Oaxaca – by ADO bus or minivan shuttle. The journey by ADO bus is longer (10hrs) than the shuttle (7/8hrs). It does a different route to the shuttle, avoiding the windy mountain roads.
We did the journey in reverse, so from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido and paid 250 pesos (£10 approx) for the shuttle with Villa Pacifico Transportes. It was less comfortable than the bus (less space and no reclining seats but still fine!), yet got us there quicker and was cheaper. I’d take the shuttle again.
Final thoughts
I really enjoyed my stay in Oaxaca. After the sheer size of Mexico City, I loved being in a smaller one which was so walkable. The centre is lovely and I was very happy spending my days wandering the streets.
I’d say my stay in Oaxaca was even more memorable and amazing given that I was there for Day of the Dead. Such a special event…constant parades in the street, beautiful altars, cemeteries brimming with candles, life, laughter and love…and one I’m over the moon about experiencing!
My highlight was visiting the Xoxo cemetery on the night of the 31st October. It was stunning and eye opening to see a cemetery in such a different light.
I can’t quite believe I was there and experienced it. So incredible! Never did I think, at the start of my trip, that I’d be in Mexico for Day of the Dead (let alone Oaxaca!). If you’re thinking about visiting Mexico for Day of the Dead, I highly recommend Oaxaca!
P.S. I did manage to leave Oaxaca City once and go to Hierve El Agua, the petrified waterfalls. You can read about it here – it’s only short!
P.P.S. I know chocolate milk is a thing, but in Oaxaca, the shop, Mayordomo, have a drink called chocomilk and it was amazing! I’m so sad I only had it on my last day – I think I would’ve bought it every day if I’d known!
