How to Celebrate the Day of the Dead in Huaquechula, Puebla (2024)

The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is one of the major celebrations in Mexico. You might have heard of how it’s celebrated in Mexico City or other popular places, but have you heard about Huaquechula? This small town is known for its altars of 3 or more levels high, and also for inviting tourists into their homes to celebrate and eat with them to commemorate their dead.

However, if you plan to visit Huaquechula during this festive season, there are some things you should keep in mind. To be well prepared and behave appropriately, read my tips for celebrating the Day of the Dead in Huaquechula. Let’s get started!

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What to Expect in Huaquechula During the Day of the Dead Festivities

Huaquechula (pronounced “wa-keh-CHOO-la”) is a small town near Puebla City where you can visit “ofrendas”, that is public altars honoring loved ones who have passed away, during the Day of the Dead season.

What makes Huaquechula unique is that you can visit not only ofrendas in public spaces like the Presidencia and the ex-convent but also in family homes. These home ofrendas commemorate family members who have died in the past year, and families here open their doors to visitors to share their traditions with everyone.

Closer to the season, a map is available showing which families welcome tourists into their homes for Day of the Dead, and as November 1 and 2 approach, even more ofrendas become open to the public.

When visiting a family’s home, be mindful of how you behave. It’s customary to bring a candle (preferably a large, thin one) as an offering (see where you can get one). After viewing the ofrenda, guests are often invited to share a small meal in the family’s backyard or front yard. In one home, we saw a live band with dancers in traditional costumes, and in another, a guitarist played solemn music in front of the altar. You might even get a chance to chat with the family, depending on the atmosphere, but if you don’t speak Spanish, no worries—just be respectful and take it all in.

When to Come to Huaquechula

You can find the most current information on the town hall’s Facebook page. For 2024, the days to visit the ofrendas are October 28 and 31, and November 1. We went on October 28, and it wasn’t very crowded with only 6 ofrendas opened yet; it gets more crowded on November 1 (but then again, there are more ofrendas to see).

It’s best to arrive as of 2 PM; see the link for more information on why. As you’re passing Atlixco on the way to Huaquechula, why not spend the morning visiting the Valley of Catrinas there before moving on to Huaquechula?

How to Prepare for Going to Huaquechula

It’s a good custom to offer a candle on the altar you’re admiring. If you drive by car, you’ll pass several places closer to Huaquechula where you can buy candles before taking a turn right towards the town itself, or you buy candles in Huaquechula. Some places are selling them when you enter the village. We bought candles at the local mini-supermarket on Avenida de la Juventud Street.

You might also want to take some small change with you, as the local kids ask you to put money into their small pumpkin mugs. You can also give them sweets or fruits, but it seems that the modern kids prefer cash😊 No worries, you don’t have to give something to all the kids (which is impossible anyway), so if you run out of supplies, you can just say „Ya no tengo.“ (I don’t have any left), or „No tengo cambio.“ (I don’t have any coins).

On some of the altars, you’ll find collection plates for collecting money. But not all have them, so I’d rather buy and place candles. However, if you run out of candles and see such a plate, you can put some money there (I’ve seen mainly 20 and 50 pesos bills, so I think that should be fine).

Where to Get a Map of All Ofrendas (Public Altars)

Closer to the event, the town hall publishes a map on its Facebook page.

You can also get a map at the information booth at the main square of Huaquechula (“Zócalo de Huaquechula”). Here, they’ll also give you a flyer with an overview of the meaning of the various elements you can find on the altars, and a kind of code of behavior. It’s all in Spanish, though, so make sure to have your translation app ready if you don’t speak Spanish.

How to Behave When Visiting Home Altars in Huaquechula

On the leaflet you get at the local information booth at the Zócalo in Huaquechula, they mention a code of behavior, so I’ll just refer to that official information. It’s especially important when visiting the altars at people’s homes.

• Don’t enter the houses that have public altars before 2 PM. That’s the time when the „Ánima Bendita“ (the Blessed Soul) enters the house.
• During the ritual of welcoming the Blessed Soul, please be quiet to respect the solemn moment.
• Ask for permission to enter the house, and bring a candle as an offering. Usually, when you approach the house the family members will invite you directly in, but if in doubt, you might want to ask („Se puede entrar?“ – „May I/we come in?“).
• Be silent in the hall with the ofrenda, and behave respectfully.
• If you enter a family’s home and want to take photos, ask for permission from the family. Usually, there’s one or more family members at the entrance (entrada) or exit (salida), and it’s enough to ask for permission with gestures.
• Usually, in the places that are part of a family’s ofrenda, the family invites you to a free-of-charge meal in their backyard or front yard. If you don’t want to eat anything, just decline politely so they don’t waste food („Gracias, ya comí.“ – „Thanks, I’ve already eaten.“), or just accept a beverage („Solo un refresco, gracias.“ – „Just a beverage, thanks.“).
• After you’ve eaten, help deposit the trash in a trash bin (sometimes they walk around with a plastic bag where you can put it in).
• Important: When you leave, thank the family for inviting you into their home and sharing their celebrations with you (“Muchas gracias”).
• Keep the streets clean by putting your trash into the bins. From my experience, Mexicans hold back from providing paper bins, but there are some at the zócalo.

Make sure you just enter the houses that are on the official map for the date you’re visiting. You might find orange petals leading to a house’s entrance, but this is not an invitation for visitors, it’s to invite the souls of the deceased to their family’s home. So don’t do as we did just following the orange petals on the floor but instead, stick to the map:-)

What Else to Do in Huaquechula During Day of the Dead, 2024

Apart from visiting local families’ ofrendas (see the official map), there’s more you can do in Huaquechula:

• Picture opportunities: Take some selfies at one of the many opportunities around the zócalo (main square): Maybe on the skeleton’s carriage, under one of the trellis arches decorated with orange cempasúchil (Marigold) flowers, or next to the big butterfly bull?
• Free events: Join the events that are held in the evenings on the zócalo: When we were there, you could get a free Day-of-the-Dead makeup and watch people dancing.
• Going for a walk: Walk along the decorated streets, especially the ones around the ex-convent San Martín Caballero opposite the zócalo. You’ll find a long basin decorated with catrinas and colorful skulls, a road full of pseudo graves with sarcastic humor on their crosses, and lots and lots of cempasúchil (Marigold) flower decorations everywhere.
• Take pictures of murals: Along the Avenida de la Juventud Street when entering the town, you’ll find several murals, many with the theme of the Day of the Dead.

The Meaning Behind the Multi-Level Altars

Huaquechula is famous for its multi-level altars, and each level has its own meaning.

First level: This level refers to the earthly realm. On this level of the altar, you find the things that the soul enjoyed while it was alive. From food and drinks to personal objects or the “llorones” (little figurines that mourn the dead), there’s also a mirror reflecting the photo of the deceased person, representing the immaterial nature of the soul.

Second level: This level represents the connection between heaven and earth. Here you’ll find a religious image of the spirit or saint that the deceased person worshipped and that should help him get into heaven.

Third level: This level represents the place the soul wants to reach – heaven or glory. A cross or Jesus figurine is often placed here.

How to Get to Huaquechula

Huaquechula is about an hour’s drive southwest of Puebla City and roughly 45 minutes from Atlixco. As you pass by Atlixco on the way to Huaquechula, why not spend the morning there visiting the Catrinas before moving on to Huaquechula?

From Puebla, you have two routes to choose from: The toll-free 190 highway or the toll road 438D, which eventually merges with the 190 once you pass Atlixco. For the last 20 minutes of the drive, you’ll leave the highway and head toward Huaquechula, entering the town on Avenida de la Juventud Street.

At the town’s entrance, there’s a parking lot to your right where tourist buses park. You can leave your car here too for 50 pesos. As you walk up the main street toward the main square, you’ll pass a mini supermarket where you can buy candles as an offering if you didn’t bring some yourself.

Understanding the Day of the Dead in General

You can find more general information about the Day of the Dead and ofrendas in my post about celebrating the Day of the Dead in Puebla.

So…Is It Worth Visiting Huaquechula for the Day of the Dead?

If you ask me, this is a thorough “Yes!”. Apart from being a lovely small town, the multi-level altars are impressive and it’s a very special and heartwarming experience to sit and feast with the local families. Again, the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico show you that there are different ways of mourning and perceiving death. I think this is a great way to learn and to be inspired to think about how to approach the death of your loved ones. You might even get inspired to set up a private small ofrenda in your own home and come up with your own rituals to commemorate your loved ones who have passed away.

Read Next:

• Celebrating Day of the Dead in Puebla 2024 – 13 Things to Do
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