Take Part in the Celebration

San Antonio offers countless ways to participate in this colorful Mexican custom. Many local museums and galleries build ofrendas that are works of art. Among the best places to admire these glorious shrines are the San Antonio Museum of Art, Museo Alameda, Institute of Texan Cultures, Southwest School of Art & Craft and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

One of the city’s oldest celebrations begins with a procession led by the URBAN-15 dancers on Plaza Mexico at HemisFair Park. A dance troupe from the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center also performs traditional Mexican folkloric dances and encourages the crowd to join in. Visitors can enjoy a Day of the Dead buffet and the ofrendas inside the Mexican Cultural Institute on Plaza Mexico.

The Art of Ladislao Loera

Another procession starts at HemisFair’s clock tower and winds its way to Southtown (just south of downtown), where galleries, shops, restaurants and live music add to the evening’s festivities. Centro Cultural Aztlan, which has been a major force in promoting Dia de los Muertos traditions in San Antonio, includes in its celebration a procession, live music, dance performances, poetry readings and an exhibit of 50 ofrendas by local artists.

Conjunto music fans should head for the concert at Conjunto Heritage Taller, honoring conjunto greats who have passed away. And families are invited to Say Si’s Muertitos Fest, a festival featuring family workshops, student folk-art exhibits, ofrendas, food booths, live music and dance performances.

Many events provide opportunities to buy Day of the Dead folk art and souvenirs, such as decorated sugar skulls, humorous skeleton figures portraying a variety of activities and vocations, papel picado, nichos, masks and painted tin ornaments. Visitors should also check out shops at La Villita and El Mercado downtown, which set up ofrendas and host special events for this occasion. Shops specializing in Mexican and Latin American folk art – such as San Angel Folk Art, El Sol Studios, Casa Margarita and Inter Artisan, all in Southtown – are also good bets.

A Local Tradition Celebrates Life and Death

Processions of ornate skeleton costumes snake their way along city streets, sidewalks and plazas. Museums and galleries mount ofrendas, altar-like shrines honoring those who have passed. Families meet in cemeteries and homes for lively gatherings to remember the dearly departed.

Part ancient ritual, part family feast, Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) celebration starts around Halloween and peaks during the wee hours of Nov. 2 – All Souls’ Day in Catholicism – when tradition says the souls of departed loved ones return to partake of the offerings (flowers, candles, food and drink) set out for them on ofrendas in homes and cemeteries.

But unlike Halloween, there’s nothing ghoulish or macabre about this holiday. It is, above all, a thanksgiving of family ties and togetherness, as well as an experience of the seamless continuity of life and death. Often families spend the entire night at the cemetery, enjoying their loved ones’ favorite foods and drinks after the returning spirits have had their share.

The most important food to have on hand for Day of the Dead is pan de muerto, a soft round bread covered with sugar that is often decorated with bread in the shape of bones or a skull. Recipes vary for this delightful sweet bread, with some calling for the addition of orange juice or other ingredients for added flavor.

Get a complete list of Day of the Dead events in San Antonio.