The Day of the Dead Tour is an annual event in Oaxaca. The following information is for the 2009 tour in Oaxaca, Mexico, from October 28 to November 2. October 28 arrive Oaxaca. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel Aitana www.hotelaitanaoaxaca.com.mx October 29 Breakfast at the hotel. Morning: walking city tour. Afternoon: Monte Alban archaeological site tour. October 30 Breakfast at the hotel. All day tour to see the Tule tree, Teotitlan (rug weaving village) and Mitla archaeological site. October 31 Breakfast at the hotel. Morning: craft villages tour to Jalietza (textiles) and Coyotepec (black pottery). Night: cemetery tour to see Day of the Dead celebration. November 01 Breakfast at the hotel. Morning: cemetery tour...to see altars and decorations by day. November 02 Breakfast at the hotel. Transportation to Oaxaca airport for your flight. Package includes 5 nights accommodations at the Hotel Aitana with daily breakfast, roundtrip airport transfers, taxes, English-speaking guides. $698 per person based on double occupancy (two persons in the room) $898 per person based on single occupancy (one person in the room) We have received many excellent compliments on this tour package. There is free time on October 31 and November 1 for you to visit museums, shopping, or art galleries. We can assist with flights to Oaxaca from your home city. Also we recommend a side trip to the coast at Huatulco or Puerto Escondido for a few days at the beach.

This uniquely Mexican and very important holiday, which celebrates the continuity of life, takes place in Oaxaca with more ceremony, ritual and flair than in any other town in Mexico. It is anything but grim and macabre. It provides an opportunity for a warm family and community reunion which includes the well remembered deceased, along with the living. The dead are considered as still being an integral part of the family and they are remembered especially on this day. The whole family takes part in preparing for the celebration. The women of the household have the greatest responsibility, as they must start to save what little money they have long before the awaited days arrive. Little by little, the scarce centavos go to buy new dishes, which are stored under the family altar, waiting for the arrival of the honored guests. The Zapotecs believed that the spirits come to visit their homes once again on this day. They come to celebrate with the living and to enjoy the spirit of what their earthly descendants have prepared for them. For this reason, the preparation is anything but haphazard. Certain types of flowers, foods and decorations are called for and the conscientious family is well aware of exactly what must be done. On the days leading up to the celebration, the markets are lively and animated - not somber or serious at all. There is a saying in Oaxaca, "We are not here for a long time, we are here for a good time." Tiny homemade stands appear in the market, selling sugar skulls, special bread called pan de yema, bright yellow marigold flowers, delicate handmade ornaments and hand-dipped candles for the altar. The final preparations take place on the night of October 31st, bringing the whole community and generations of families out to the cemetery. The grave sites are cleaned, decorated and bedecked with flowers and candles, as well as food and drink that the deceased loved while living. Vista World Travel has been operating tours to Oaxaca since 1998. Our local tour guides are very experienced. The vehicles used for transfers and tours are comfortable and well-maintained. more about Días de los Muertos