What confuses newcomers to this region the most, during Dia de Muertos observations, is how the holidays and dates line up.  November 1 is the day for celebrating the "angels," who are mainly associated with children but can also include anyone who never married, as they are assumed to be virgins.

Much like families gather on Christmas Eve to commence celebrations, so too do indigenous families gather on the eve of October 31, to begin their observance for the Vigil de los Angelitos on November 1.  Though we left the community at around midnight, the families here will stay up and hold vigil overnight and into the next day.  Throughout the night, different families will continue coming with offerings for the families.  This is beyond special - most have no words to express how touching and meaningful this is.  

If you really want to observe the important traditions, please join us for our extended tour, or sign-up for our two night tour.  We combine our two groups for these experiences, and promise to introduce you to an amazing experience you will never forget.

Tonight we visited the plaza and made beautiful offrendas for the two families who hosted us. It is important to consider the local families who host us during these vigils, as this experience is not for us to take from, but to respect by honouring local cultural protocols.

We were invited to partake in these vigils and were granted permission to attend, by the community.  To show gratitude, we built offrendas with fruits, flowers, brought candles and other traditional items to the families who hosted us.  In turn, they offered us tamales, atole, punch and tequila.  When you come with us, if you cannot eat their foods for religious or allergy reasons, please accept their offerings and we can discard them later or offer them to another guest who is eager!