Day of the Dead celebrations take place annually from
October 31 through November 2, as a tradition to honor and remember the
deceased. With lively specialty markets and spooky tours of “haunted”
graveyards, Guadalajara
is a great place to experience the Day of the Dead, Mexico’s most
surreal and eccentric festival.
Day of the Dead was designated an intangible world heritage by UNESCO in
2008 and holds great significance in Mexico’s indigenous communities.
The celebration dates back to the 16th century and fuses pre-Hispanic
religious rites with Catholic feasts introduced
by the Europeans. Originally the festival took place in the summer, but
over the years it was moved to its current date to coincide with
Halloween and All Saints' Day.
One of the most prominent traditions connected with Day of the Dead
involves building altars to honor the lives of family member and/or
friends that have passed. In Guadalajara, everything needed to prepare
an altar can be found at the Feria de Carton, a special
Día de Los Muertos market in Parque Morelos, a few blocks north of the
San Juan de Dios market in the historic city center. Popular decorations
include Pan de los Muertos (bread of the dead), iconic candy skulls,
wooden altars, brightly colored decorative
tissue paper, scented candles and a stunning range of painted wooden or
clay skulls. Depictions of Catrina, also known as “The Lady of the
Dead,” are also often featured atop the altars. While skulls are
commonly placed in the centerpiece, the altars also
often feature Christian symbols like the cross and the image of the
Virgin Mary, illustrating how the Day of the Dead is a unique synthesis
of Catholicism and ancient indigenous ritualism.
For an unforgettable Día de los Muertos experience, visitors to
Guadalajara can take a nighttime tour of the city’s oldest and most
infamous cemetery, The Panteon de Belen. Belen once served as the burial
ground for the old civil hospital, but in 1786 work
began to transform the site into a proper cemetery. The cemetery was
finally completed in 1844 and is divided into two areas, one for the
poor and the other for the wealthy. Huge, gnarled trees give the site
the appearance of a haunted forest. The cemetery’s
gothic architecture is illuminated at night with atmospheric lighting
that casts strong shadows across the sea of elaborate gravestones and
giant, crumbling mausoleums. Bats flit across the night sky, and as
visitors are guided along the perimeter walkway,
they are stalked by hooded figures who slip silently among the
gravestones. The Panteon de Belen is located in downtown Guadalajara at
Belen 684. Daytime and nighttime tours are available from 25 to 68 pesos
($1.35 to $3.65 USD). Tickets can be purchased onsite.
Other
seasonal events held in the greater Guadalajara area include
Tlaquepaque, which takes place October 29, 2016 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm.
During this Day of the Dead celebration, locals and visitors gather to
enjoy live
music and traditional food, while having the opportunity to provide
offerings for the dead, view beautiful altars and experience streets
filled with children and adults dressed-up in lively costumes.
Traditional folkloric dancing, brightly colored outfits
and sounds of roaming Mariachis combine for an unforgettable
experience. For more information, visit www.tlaq.com.
About Guadalajara
The birthplace of iconic Mexican heritage including tequila and mariachi, Guadalajara is the
second largest city in Mexico and considered the country’s cultural center.
Each
year, tourists travel to this cosmopolitan destination to experience a
plethora of attractions including nearby magical towns such as Tequila,
where the popular spirit is produced; explore colonial
architecture; and visit museums and small towns with exquisite crafts
and artwork. Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco, which is located in the center of Mexico, 350 miles west of Mexico City and
200 miles east from Puerto Vallarta along the Pacific Ocean.
The
metropolitan area of Guadalajara consists of four urban districts –
Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque, Tonala, and Zapopan – and three suburban
districts, Tlajomulco,
El Salto, and Tequila.
Travel to Guadalajara is easily accessible via the Miguel
Hidalgo International Airport (GDL), which is located 24 miles from the
city center of Guadalajara, with non-stop daily flights from major
markets across the United
States and Canada.
For more information on Guadalajara, please visit
www.visitguadalajara.com, follow us on Instagram
@GoToGuadalajara, Twitter
@GoToGuadalajara and like us on Facebook at
GoToGuadalajara.
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