My grandmother, Moyra, a woman whose spirit for adventure only seemed to grow stronger with age, instilled in me a profound wanderlust. Even after becoming a widow in her sixties, she embraced solo travel with unmatched enthusiasm, using her late husband’s pension as her ticket to explore the world. From Danube cruises to the Egyptian pyramids and Tiananmen Square, her journeys, immortalized in photographs, were a testament to a life lived fully. Though she reached the remarkable age of 103, Mexico remained unexplored territory. Nearly a decade after her passing, an invitation to Oaxaca for Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, arrived, and I could almost hear her delighted exclamation, “Darling, how wonderful!” The organizers encouraged me to bring a photo of a deceased loved one for the festival’s honors. Moyra’s picture found its place in my hand luggage, and together, we embarked on a journey to Mexico, seeking an experience as vibrant and unforgettable as her Travel Leisure Logo-worthy adventures.
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Día de los Muertos, vividly brought to life in Disney’s Coco, is a cornerstone of Latin American culture, celebrated with striking visual splendor. Oaxaca, nestled in southern Mexico, is widely considered the heart of this celebration. As late October transitions into early November, Oaxaca’s historic cobblestone streets burst into a kaleidoscope of life. Costume parades fill the air with music and movement, cemeteries glow with the warm flicker of candlelight, and within homes, ofrendas, or altars, are lovingly constructed to honor departed loved ones.
My journey was part of a group trip orchestrated by Prior, a travel company distinguished for crafting authentic and impeccably curated experiences since 2018, often lauded for their Instagram-perfect aesthetics. Their discerning clientele, including a notable list of celebrities, speaks volumes of their appeal. This particular itinerary, a new series in collaboration with Capital One, was themed around festivals, with Día de los Muertos marking its inaugural event.
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Our accommodation was Escondido Oaxaca, a century-old mansion in the Centro Histórico, transformed into a boutique hotel in 2019 by Grupo Habita, a name synonymous with chic, contemporary lodging across Mexico and beyond. Stepping through the hotel’s imposing wooden doors was like entering another world. The courtyard was alive with marigolds, their potent fragrance and vibrant orange hues believed to guide the souls of the departed. In my room, a bed seemingly floating above a concrete floor, a small dish presented two dark-chocolate skulls from FlorCacao, a local artisanal chocolatier, infused with mandarin and marigold.
An hour later, our group, a mix of writers and photographers on this preview trip, convened for rooftop cocktails at Escondido. Raising a mezcal margarita, I spoke with David Prior, the company’s founder, whose background spanned the culinary and publishing worlds. He shared the vision behind this new festival-centric series, with upcoming trips planned for Bastille Day in Paris and Seville’s Feria de Jerez. “These festivals encapsulate the essence of a culture at its most expressive,” he explained. However, curating the perfect experience, especially for an event as culturally nuanced as Día de los Muertos, presents challenges. The concern of cultural appropriation, particularly regarding non-Hispanic individuals in skull makeup, is real. Prior articulated the delicate balance they aim to strike: “How do you ensure it feels authentic and yet retains a sense of magic?”
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As if in answer, music drifted up from the courtyard below. A troupe of musicians and dancers had arrived, beckoning us from the rooftop into the bustling street. Swept along by their vibrant procession of color, movement, and sound, we reached an intersection where a large crowd had gathered. Beyond, a sea of people moved past. The parade unfolded with fireworks, drummers, and multiple brass bands. Stilt walkers towered above the crowd, and women carried elaborate floral arrangements in baskets atop their heads. Costumes ranged from riotous rainbow hues to stark black and white, many faces painted as La Calavera Catrina, the iconic skeleton figure of the festival. Pink and orange banners fluttered against the dark night sky. The atmosphere was a blend of joy and solemnity, uniquely tied to this time and place. Día de los Muertos had officially commenced.
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Día de los Muertos traces its origins back 3,000 years to the Aztecs, who established a ritual honoring Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of the underworld. With the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the indigenous tradition merged with the Catholic observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Five centuries later, Día de los Muertos has evolved into a distinct celebration, recognized in 2008 by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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To deepen our understanding, the following morning we journeyed to Teotitlán del Valle, about 45 minutes from Oaxaca City. This rural town, home to Zapotec weavers and dyers, was also the birthplace of our guide, Edgar Mendoza Martinez. After a brief tour of Teotitlán’s market and central square, he led us to his family’s compound. In a courtyard, where roosters pecked beneath a pomegranate tree and sugarcane leaned against a wall, we met Edgar’s cousin, Tia Micaelina.
Micaelina, a petite woman in traditional attire, guided us to a room where a grand ofrenda had been created for the holiday. Before a wall adorned with gold-framed Catholic icons, copal incense smoke swirled in sunlit beams. Micaelina pointed out photos of her parents and small loaves of bread and chocolates on a table beneath the shrine, offerings for los angelitos, children who had passed. I inquired if any angelitos belonged to this household. “Yes,” Edgar replied, “Her little sister was lost.”
I thought of Moyra’s photo, regrettably left at the hotel. “You’ll know when you find the right ofrenda to leave it on,” Edgar had advised. This one, while poignant, didn’t feel quite right.
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Craftsmanship is a central theme in Prior’s itineraries, and Oaxaca, with its rich artisan heritage in basketry, woodcarving, embroidery, and pottery, is an ideal destination to explore and acquire these exquisite objects.
In Zapotec communities like Teotitlán del Valle, entire families and towns often specialize in a single craft. Edgar shared that his ancestors were weavers for generations, but he chose a different path as a tour guide. “I knew, to understand the world, I had to leave,” he explained.
Others in Teotitlán del Valle have successfully blended tradition with innovation. We visited Casa Don Taurino, run by Alejandro Mendoza and Verónica Bautista. Established by Mendoza’s grandfather, this weaving workshop, under the couple’s direction, has revitalized the use of organic pigments.
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“Synthetic dyes were overshadowing natural pigments, and this tradition was fading,” Mendoza explained, pointing to bowls of natural dye ingredients: pomegranate skins for mustard, marigold for yellow, tree moss for beige, and indigo leaves.
One bowl contained la grana cochinilla, cochineal, insects from prickly-pear cacti. When crushed, they yield a vibrant scarlet dye. The Spanish, upon arriving in Oaxaca, recognized its superior red and shipped it to Europe. “At one point,” Mendoza said, “it was almost as valuable as gold.”
Bautista crushed cochineal with a rolling pin, revealing the scarlet pigment. We applied it to our hands, noting the color variations on our skin. Next, we tie-dyed cotton in indigo dye. We then met Angélica Torres Ospina, a designer who uses these natural dyes for her chic clothing line.
Nearby, we visited Casa Viviana, the atelier of 76-year-old candlemaker Viviana Alávez, renowned on Instagram and featured in Vogue. Alávez and her daughter-in-law, Petra Mendoza, create traditional velas, Oaxacan candles with ornate wax decorations. Their reimagined velas are celebrated as art. Even basic candles are colorful and adorned, while custom pieces for events can take months to create.
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Using generations-old methods and beeswax from Chiapas dyed with natural pigments, Alávez is credited with preserving this art form.
It felt like an honor when Alávez invited me to try making a wax rosette. My attempt was humble compared to Casa Viviana’s creations. Our group then spent time selecting candles, carefully packaged by Alávez’s family. Prior’s trips with Capital One offer a convenient service: purchases shipped directly from the hotel.
Food is another Prior highlight. Oaxaca’s cuisine is transformative, from simple to refined settings. In Teotitlán del Valle, we savored fresh tortillas and quesadillas cooked over an open flame. At La Cocina de Humo in Oaxaca City, Chef Thalía Barrios presented smoky Sierra Sur flavors cooked on a wood stove, served on regional earthenware.
But our most memorable meal was a cooking class with Chef Alejandro Ruiz. We visited Mercado Central de Abastos with Ruiz, of Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante, a pioneer in Oaxacan cuisine. “Everything begins at the market,” Ruiz said. “I’ve been here since childhood.”
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Ruiz navigated the bustling market, selecting ingredients for mole: chicken, squash, tomatoes, herbs, and chilhuacle rojo chiles. “This one is smoky, with umami,” he explained.
We then went to Portozuelo, Ruiz’s family farm and restaurant outside Oaxaca City, where everything is cooked traditionally over wood fires. Portozuelo employs local community members. We were greeted with mezcal cocktails and divided into cooking teams. My team made mole, a complex sauce requiring 28 ingredients.
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Later, we enjoyed our mole and pan de muertos for dessert. Our final night coincided with Día de los Muertos’ main celebration. At Cobarde Oaxaca, overlooking the zocalo, we watched street performers and fireworks over Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
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After dinner, Edgar learned that cemetery candles were being blown out. We went to Xochimilco cemetery instead, finding families gathered at graves. We joined a family honoring Maria, their matriarch, with mezcal and songs. The atmosphere varied from festive to somber.
As we left, Edgar shared he would honor his father in Teotitlán del Valle the next day. “He wanted to be a guide,” Edgar said. “Honoring him is doing this work.”
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Before leaving Oaxaca, I sought a place for Moyra’s photo. At Casa Oaxaca, I found a courtyard ofrenda filled with photos. Amongst the offerings, I placed Moyra’s picture. She would have loved Oaxaca’s warmth and vibrancy. “What an adventure,” I imagined her saying, stepping into the sunlit street, a perfect encapsulation of a travel leisure logo embodying unforgettable experiences.
Four-day Día de los Muertos trips with Prior and Capital One from $2,400 per person.
A version of this story first appeared in the March 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Good Spirits.”
