Dates: Weds Oct 30 & Thurs Oct 31; Overnight Outing

Schedule: Pickup in Oaxaca city 9am Oct 30, drop off 6pm Oct 31

Spaces available: 6

Price per person: $500 USD/9,400 MXN

Join us on this overnight experience deep in the heart of mezcal country where we participate in the final preparations for día de los muertos with mezcal producing families of the region; visiting a nighttime flower market, a 125 year old bakery making the famous pan de yema, make our own altar, and of course feast on tamales de mole negro.

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca city (2 hours each way) all transportation during overnight stay

• All mentioned activities

• 5 meals (does not include dinner on Day 2)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Overnight accommodations at Rancho Los Nahuales, double occupancy rooms

• Donation to future community youth center

Day 1: 9am-12am

• Big breakfast of at our favorite roadside comedor, which only uses wood fire for cooking

• Visit to a traditional mezcal palenque, learning about the process and history of the mezcal of the region directly from the producing families who have been distilling their mezcal in copper for 4 generations

• Learn about and see the biodiversity of different types of agaves used to make mezcal

• Tasting of traditional mezcal made on site

• A chance to purchase mezcal directly from the producers (price not included), our help packing it for travel

• Farm to table lunch of local delicacies prepared by a cocinera tradicional

• Settle at Rancho Los Nahuales, afternoon siesta 

• Visit to nighttime flower market to buy supplies for our altar, including a trip to a 100 year old fireworks store 

Day 2: 8am-6pm

• Early morning rise to gather chapulines (grasshoppers) and biruxe (wild marigold) for our altar (dependent on whether there has been enough rain this year)

• Breakfast at Rancho Los Nahuales

• Head into town to spend the day participating in the local Día de los Muertos traditions with a local family including creating our own Day of the Dead altar and tamal making 

• Lunch of mole negro tamales that we make accompanied by our selection of traditional mezcal and hot chocolate

• Head back to Oaxaca by 4pm, arrive in Oaxaca City around 6pm

Altar Building & Tamal Making in Mitla

Date: Weds, Oct 30/Schedule: 9am-6pm

Spaces available: 6/Price per person: $185 USD/3,330 MXN

Learn about the traditions of Day of the Dead in the longest continually inhabited Zapotec community in Oaxaca´s central Valleys (since the year 1000). Mitla was the religious capital for the Zapotec empire and thought to be the place where souls cross from the world of the living to the dead.

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca city (1 hour each way)

• Breakfast at our favorite taco spot in Oaxaca city

• Participate in building an altar with a local family in their home, learning about the traditions of Day of the Dead in this community

• Traditional cooking class with a cocinera traditional making tamales served during this holiday season

• Lunch that we prepare at the home of an antiques collector, learning about the pieces and history of mezcal in the region accompanied by our selection of traditional mezcal

• Visit to Mitla ruins (entrance fee included, 30 free time at ruins)

• Visit to a traditional bakery making the special day of the dead bread

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women’s cooperative annual project

Día de los Muertos in Teotitlán & Mitla

Date: Fri Nov 1/Schedule: 9am-8pm

Spaces available: 6/Price per person: $185 USD/3,330 MXN

Join us in taking part in the celebrations of Day of the Dead in the Zapotec communities of Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla where we are invited into our community partner´s homes to welcome the souls, learn about their traditions, view altars, visit graveyards, and feast on dishes of the season such as mole and tamales.

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca city (1 hour each way)

• Participate in the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations in the homes of our community partners in Teotitlán

• Learn about natural dyes, weaving, and beeswax candle making directly from the artisans

• Visit to the cemetery and participate in the creation of the altar, learn about Day of the Dead traditions in Teotitlán

• Travel to Mitla to participate in their Day of the Dead festivities and visit traditional altars in family homes

• Lunch and dinner of traditional dishes served during this holiday (moles, tamales, hot chocolate, bread)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Mezcal Minero (2 palenques)

Date: Thurs, Oct 31/Schedule: 9am-6pm

Spaces available: 4 /Price per person: $185 USD/3,330 MXN

Our Mezcal Minero tour is extra special this time of year when many mezcal producers in the region are making mezcal de pechuga to honor the visiting souls.

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca City (1 hour each way)

• Big breakfast of at our favorite roadside comedor, which only uses wood fire for cooking

• Tour of 2 mezcal palenques producing clay pot distilled mezcal

  • Tour of an agave nursery and artisanal palenque, which produces small batch clay pot distilled mezcal where we learn about the mezcal production process from seed to bottle. The palenque is owned and operated by family that has been making mezcal for 4 generations and currently produces mezcal for national and international sale committing to sustainable agriculture and giving back to the community

  • Visit to a second palenque in the home of a traditional mezcal producer working with his sons to make micro batches of Minero mezcal for personal consumption and local sale

• Tasting of mezcal made on site at each palenque

• A chance to purchase mezcal directly from the producers (price not included), our help packing it for travel

• Lunch at Ocotlán market of regional dishes

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to community library

Saying Goodbye to the Souls in Teotitlán & Mitla

Date: Sat, Nov 2/Schedule: 9am-7pm

Spaces available: 6/Price per person: $185 USD/3,330 MXN

Join us in taking part in the celebrations of Day of the Dead in the Zapotec communities of Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla where we are invited into our community partner´s homes to say farewell to the souls, learn about their traditions, view altars, visit graveyards, and feast on dishes of the season such as mole and tamales.

Includes:

• Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)

• Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca city (1 hour each way)

• Travel to Mitla to participate in their Day of the Dead festivities and visit traditional altars in family homes

• Participate in the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations in the homes of our community partners in Teotitlán

• Visit to the cemetery and learn about Day of the Dead traditions in Teotitlán

• Natural dye and weaving rug weaving demonstrating with the first women’s cooperative in the community

• Visit to to beeswax candlemakers, learning about their craft and their role in this holiday

• Breakfast and lunch of traditional dishes served during this holiday (moles, tamales, hot chocolate, bread)

• Drinking water and light snacks

• Donation to women's cooperative annual project

Increased Traffic Advisory During Day of the Dead

• Downtown Oaxaca is a maze of one way streets and gets gridlocked with the increased traffic during this season. While we will do our best to stay true to pick up/drop off times we reserve the right to pick you up and drop off in a 15 minute window before or after the start time of the outing (if the pickup time is 9:00am depending on your location we might need to pick you up at 8:45am or 9:15am).

• While we do our best to drop you off at your hotel, traffic often becomes impenetrable in the evenings during this season, we may have to drop you off a few blocks away from your destination. If you are carrying heavy purchases from the outing we will be happy to drop it off later that evening or early the next day.

• Please do not make dinner reservations close to your estimated drop off time in Oaxaca (ex: your drop off time is 7:00pm, don´t make reservations until 8-8:30pm) as many of the experiences during this time become immersive and we may not be able to strictly adhere to drop off times. We will also be feasting throughout the day and you may not be hungry close to your drop off time. Please let us know if we need to be mindful of any dinner reservations you may have.

Groups and Prices

• All of the experiences listed during this season are Open Outings for up 2-6 participants.

• If you would like a Private Outing for your group only, we can accommodate groups of 6 or more at no extra cost. Please write to us here to learn more.

• All experiences are bilingual (Spanish/English).