Destinations across Mexico’s Quintana Roo state marked Día de Muertos with Janal Pixán, the Maya tradition of honouring the dead, staging ceremonies, festivals and processions for residents and visitors, the Mexican Caribbean Tourism Board said on November 5.
Janal Pixán, meaning “food for the souls”, is a three-day observance honouring children, adults and all souls. Families build altars with photographs, candles, flowers, water and favourite foods, including tamales, atole and mucbipollo, a large tamal cooked in an underground píib oven. The tourism board said the tradition keeps a distinct Maya identity while sharing features with Día de Muertos elsewhere in Mexico.
In Puerto Morelos, the annual Mar de Almas Janal Pixán featured boat and walking processions, a Maya fire ceremony, the blessing of the municipal altar and contests for decorated boats, façades, Catrinas and alebrijes.
In the Riviera Maya, Xcaret ran its four-day Festival of Life and Death Traditions with altars, workshops, handicrafts, music and theatre, while the Hilton Cancun and Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya all-inclusive resorts hosted altars, culinary workshops, ceremonies and Catrina parades.
Earlier in the season, the Museo de la Isla de Cozumel staged Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro, a three-day festival dedicated this year to the state of Michoacán, with a monumental altar, video mapping, folkloric dance and an exhibition inspired by the monarch butterfly, a symbol of remembrance and return in Purépecha tradition.
Cultural events give the region a pitch beyond its beaches as access improves, with Viva restarting direct Cancún-Acapulco flights this week and Cancún airport operator ASUR raising $1.8bn in bonds last month.
The Mexican Caribbean Tourism Board promotes the destinations of Quintana Roo, including Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Tulum, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Holbox and Bacalar.
