Disclaimer: the thoughts and opinions in this post and website our mine, not those of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program or Institute of International Education.

We visited Oaxaca from late October to early November for the Dia de Muertos celebration. This post will share some of the sights and sounds that we lived. We arrived on Friday October 30, 2015 and the first place we hit was the zocalo. When arrived we noticed that the Dia de Murtos spirit was in full effect.

 

We then proceeded over to the Iglesia de Santo Domingo which had an even livelier Muerto spirit. I was able to record a band playing for a zigzagging line of women dressed in black (you can see them in the picture below behind the band).

The audio corresponds to the band playing in the picture.

The next day (October 31, 2015) we headed over to Monte Alban with a fellow Fulbrighter J and his wife A.

Later that night we went to two cemeteries with some friends. The first was the Panteon General (General Cemetery).

The second cemetery was in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan or “Xoxo” for short. Xoxo was much more of a tourist attraction, yet it retained a local flair as many families visited their deceased loved ones to spend the night with them. I recorded a very interesting sounding group playing for their loved ones.

The audio corresponds to the group in the picture.

On November 1, 2015 we went to a variety of towns and sites near Oaxaca. We visited Mitla and Tule. We had some amazing Tlayudas in Tule, and enjoyed the ruins in Mitla.

The people of Oaxaca were amazing, and the food was awesome. I leave you with some pictures of Oaxaca’s amazing cuisine.

In my opinion, Oaxaca is a state and city that Mexico’s visitors must see. As a Fulbrighter in DF my trip to Oaxaca was fantastic because it allowed me to explore a different gastronomic and cultural region. I enjoyed new styles of food and unique traditions. My trip was especially enlightening because I visited Oaxaca during the día de muertos celebration. It was a moving experience like nothing I’ve seen before.