Day of the Dead  Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico   
Other families have worked in the afternoon to prepare the marigold flowers and decorate the tombs.
Families leave offerings for the spirits in the home and at the cemetery.  They will often leave a path of
flower petals to guide the spirits.
A Day of the Dead visit to the cemeteries of Xoxocotlan near Oaxaca on the last night
of October can be a magical time because of the thousands of candles and the
marigolds and cockscomb flowers that  decorate the tombs. The Day of the Dead is
celebrated in each of Xoxocotlan's two cemeteries differently.  The New cemetery is
less densely packed and this has given the families room to make sand paintings.
Some are done in bass relief, others in a traditional flat layers of colored sand or
powder.  Catholic symbols prevail in the sand paintings.
During the Day of the Dead  in Xoxocotlan the streets leading to the
cemeteries overflow with flower sellers supplying the families the marigold they will
use to decorate their home altars and tombs.  Marigold and cockscomb are the
flowers with special meaning.  The marigold is called the Fleur de Meurto, the
flower of death.
In the evening  of the last night of October, the Day of the Dead begins as the
families come to the two Xoxocotlan cemeteries and sit by the tombs as they wait
for the return of the spirits.
In the new cemetery of Xoxocotlan, artist Juan Cruz Pascual honors his father 's memory on the Day of
the Dead by decorating  with a sand painting replete with Christian motifs
Day of the Dead
excitement in
Xoxocotlan
comes in the
town's main
Plaza or Zocalo.
Groups build
altars called
ofrenda and
decorate in the
traditional way
with marigold
flowers, fruit, nuts
jicama, bananas
and all the treats
that the departed
favored in their
lifetime.
Xoxocotlan Day of the Dead  Cemetery Visits
Xoxocotlan Day of the Dead altars or
offerings display treats the departed
loved in life
The Day of the Dead preparations include the decorating with
pungent marigold,  the scent is thought to attract the spirit to the
home and offering
Xoxocotlan Cemetery Viejo
(pictured left) is densely
packed and ablaze with
candlelight the last night of
October.
The families do not mind if
you take photos of the
decorated tombs,Most are
proud of their efforts to attract
the spirit back for a visit, lured
by the scent of copal burning
and the pungent marigold
Custom Search
Oaxaca Hotels      
Oaxaca Day of the Dead Schedule of Cemetery Visits
October, 31

Xoxocotlan. This town a few miles southwest of Oaxaca City  has two Cemeteries, Cementario Viejo, and
the new Cementario Nuevo.

October 31, the village of Atzompa holds a later cemetery vigil starting around 11 pm.

Day of the Dead November 1

Oaxaca City Cemetery, Panteon General on the east side of the city

Tlaixtac de Cabrera, six miles south east of Oaxaca City

San Felipe del Agua, north of Oaxaca City November 2,
Village of San Antonino Castillo Velasco  A flower growing village that celebrates a week after the others
The Day of the Dead Festival in Xoxocotlan takes
place on the night of October 31.  The night vigils occur in
Xoxocotlan's two cemeteries.  Xoxocotlan's old cemetery
(Cementario Viejo). is a small cemetery and will be
jammed with  flowers and candles as the families clean
the graves and prepare the tombs for the return of the
spirits.  
Reach the Xoxocotlan Cemeteries:  The Day of the Dead Cemetery visit transportation is
available from Oaxaca city by bus, taxi, or car.  Xoxo Cemetery visits occur on October 31.   
First time visitors are best off with one of the many Oaxaca Tour Agencies such as Borroco
Tours located on Garcia Vigil  (street)  They arrange small or large group van tours for visitors
to the village of Xoxo for the two cemeteries.  They guide you in the cemetery, help you make
photos, and provide local information about the event.
Otherwise the best option is taxi or collective taxi.  Arrange for your return or determine the
loading place at the village when you arrive.  It could be difficult to find later in the evening.
The collective taxis for Xoxo leave from a depot on Calle (street) Miguel Cabrera, five blocks
south of the Zocalo.