The experience begins underground, along the emblematic Subterranean Street, transformed for the occasion into a “Tunnel of Tradition” that evokes the journey to the Mexica underworld. A staging of aromas, lights, and sounds guides visitors toward a monumental offering dedicated to José Alfredo Jiménez, a towering figure of Mexican popular music. The city is experienced through new codes: at night, the Macabre Callejoneadas inherit the university spirit of the Estudiantina and dress it up with skulls, legends, and characters like La Llorona, while the giant mojiganga puppets lead attendees through the folds of the Historic Center with humor, mischief, and a hint of mystery.
One of the most moving moments arrives with the Angelitos Procession, a silent march honoring children who left too soon. Catrinas, skeletons, mummies, and legendary figures accompany the route from the former Railway Station to Plaza Allende, a reminder that hope and continuity also bear a child’s face. No less stirring is the “Carpet of Death,” an ephemeral work of collective art that covers Sopeña Street with sawdust, flowers, and natural pigments. Its scenes—dedicated to life, mourning, and remembrance—bear witness to community talent and Guanajuato’s creative pulse.
Indigenous worldview regains body and voice in “Return to Mictlán,” an immersive performance that intertwines theater, dance, and music to recreate the passage through the nine levels of the underworld and, with it, the tradition’s ultimate teaching: death is not rupture, but continuity. In that same spirit of meeting time face to face, the night visits to the Santa Paula Cemetery and the Museum of the Mummies invite us to contemplate the mystery. Under the moonlight, the cemetery—where the mummies began to form in 1861—reveals stone and marble sculptures, stories of notable figures, and the descent down the old spiral staircase into the museum, an experience that blends history, science, and reflection.
On November 1, at 7:00 p.m., the Catrinas and Catrines Parade will cross the city center from Jardín Embajadoras to Plaza de las Ranas. Meticulous attire, spectacular headpieces, and painted faces will form a cortege of festive elegance, accompanied by music, incense, and the joy of families gathering to applaud, take photos, and celebrate. It is a tableau that encapsulates the spirit of Guanajuato: a people who narrate their history in song, learn from the past, and transform absence into art, beauty, and community.
Above all, the Day of the Dead Festival in Guanajuato City is a platform for cultural preservation and inclusion. Every altar raised, every song sung, and every step in the processions attests to a living culture renewed by new generations—resilient against oblivion and generous in how it shares memory. Those who visit during these dates will not only attend a program of activities: they will become part of a city turned sanctuary, of a tradition made present, and of a heritage built with everyone’s participation.
Find the full program at www.guanajuatocapitalturismo.com
