Maya Day of the Dead Traditions in Chiapas

Walk San Cristóbal’s cobblestone streets with your private guide, passing pastel buildings and ornate churches before visiting a local market for flowers, candles and other altar supplies. In the afternoon, create a personal Day of the Dead altar, learning the meaning of sugar skulls, papel picado and traditional offerings; photographs and a small offering can make it a tribute to your own loved ones. Light incense and candles, then spend the evening as you wish, perhaps exploring the town’s Day of the Dead exhibits, pageants and performances.

Overnight: Hotel Bo

Visit El Romerillo’s sacred burial hill, where TzotsilChamula families gather beneath tall blue crosses decorated with pine boughs and marigolds. Listen to traditional music, browse food stalls and see local offerings of flowers, incense and pox, a corn liquor specific to the Chiapas region. Pause for lunch in Teopisca before continuing to Amatenango del Valle, where overlooking the village, you’llhear musicians play thefavorite songs of those who have passed on, requested by relatives gathered to honor them.

Explore Zinacantán’s Mukenallakolteclum Cemetery, where flower arrangements echo the floral embroidery worn by local residents. Share a home-cooked lunch with a Zinacantecan family before continuing to San Juan Chamula. Visit the graveyard beside the surviving walls of San Sebastián Church, then stop at San Juan Church itself. Back in San Cristóbal, explore the main cemetery, comparing its concrete tombs and mausoleums with the burial sites visited in neighboring Maya communities.

After days of flower-filled celebrations and family traditions, bid San Cristóbal de las Casas goodbye and head to Tuxtla Gutiérrez for your onward flight.