Mitla hosts a Day of the Dead tour on 27 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 02:15 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Mitla will host a guided Day of the Dead tour at its archaeological zone in Oaxaca, Mexico, on 27 October 2026. The programme also includes an altar presented in the site's Leopoldo Batres Gallery, giving visitors a scheduled cultural event alongside the permanent Zapotec architecture.
Mitla schedules a guided Day of the Dead tour
The tour is planned for 27 October 2026 from 4pm to 7pm. It is being organised by the Secretariat of Cultures and Arts of Oaxaca and the Tlacolula Valley Archaeological Corridor, as part of a wider Day of the Dead programme at museums and archaeological zones administered by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH.
The organisers have also announced an altar of the dead in the Leopoldo Batres Gallery at the site. Places are limited and prior registration is required, so the event is not a drop-in evening opening. The INAH event programme names both the date and the archaeological zone.
Mitla's carved courtyards frame the October programme
The archaeological zone stands in the northern part of Oaxaca's Tlacolula Valley. Its monuments are arranged in five groups. Four contain square courtyards surrounded by large halls, while the remaining group has a courtyard enclosed by stepped adobe platforms.
Carved limestone mosaics form geometric fretwork on the facades and interior walls. INAH identifies this decoration as a distinctive feature of the Zapotec lineage that lived at the site after the decline of Monte Alban. The main chronological span is 200 to 1521, with the Late Postclassic period running from 1200 to 1521. The scheduled altar therefore sits within a site whose surviving architectural language is closely associated with Zapotec history. Details of the groups, chronology and access route appear in the INAH site description.
Mitla is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca. That cultural landscape includes two pre-Hispanic archaeological complexes and prehistoric caves and rock shelters, with evidence connected to the transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture. The World Heritage Centre lists INAH among the principal authorities responsible for the property's archaeological and cultural sites.
Visiting Mitla: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The guided tour and altar programme take place at Mitla's archaeological zone on 27 October 2026 from 4pm to 7pm; prior registration is required and places are limited.
- The event adds a scheduled tour and altar presentation to the archaeological visit. It does not announce a closure or a replacement entrance for the main site.
- From Oaxaca, the route follows Pan-American Highway 190 towards Tehuantepec. The archaeological zone is reached via the turn-off at kilometre 39 and streets in the town.
- Public buses from Oaxaca travel to Mitla, but INAH says they stop at the entrance to the town rather than directly at the archaeological zone.
- Spanish is the official language used for administration in Mexico, and the national currency is the Mexican peso.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Mitla's 27 October 2026 programme connects a living Day of the Dead tradition with courtyards and mosaics that preserve the area's Zapotec past.
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Frequently asked questions about Mitla
When does the Day of the Dead tour take place at Mitla?
The guided tour and altar presentation take place on 27 October 2026 from 4pm to 7pm. Prior registration is required.
What is Mitla?
Mitla is a Zapotec archaeological zone in Oaxaca's Tlacolula Valley, with five architectural groups and limestone mosaic fretwork.
Where is Mitla and how do you get there?
The zone is in the town of Mitla, east of Oaxaca. INAH directs road users to Pan-American Highway 190 and says public buses from Oaxaca stop at the town entrance.
