In Cozumel, the dead come home for dinner, and the living spend days getting the menu right.
Hanal Pixán (Mayan for “food of the souls”) is a local tradition for honoring the dead. Over the centuries it has blended with the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and today it’s celebrated alongside Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
It traditionally runs from October 31 to November 2. If your cruise or vacation lands on the island those days, you’ll see it on candlelit family altars, in the town cemetery and in the lines outside the bakeries.
Three Days, Three Guest Lists
The Mayan calendar for the dead is better organized than most dinner parties. October 31 belongs to the souls of children, November 1 to adults, and November 2 to all the departed.
At home, altars go up with candles, wooden crosses, flowers and whatever the person loved to eat and drink. For many families, it’s as much about hospitality as it is about mourning. The souls are guests, and guests get fed first.
The Star Of The Table
The dish everyone waits for is mucbipollo, known across the peninsula simply as pib. It’s a giant tamale of corn dough colored with achiote, filled with chicken and pork, wrapped in banana leaves and traditionally cooked in an earth oven.
The name gives the method away. Pib comes from the Mayan for roasting beneath the ground, and mukbil means “buried.” The burying and unearthing of the dish are often interpreted as a symbol of the cycle of life and death.
You’ll also find pan de muerto (bread of the dead) in the island’s bakeries through the season.
Where To See It On The Island
Cozumel’s town hall has turned the season into a festival. Last year’s Almas con Tradición (Souls with Tradition) ran from October 28 to November 2, starting with candles and a projection show at San Miguel cemetery. A procession of souls set off from there along 5th Avenue, followed by catrina costume contests, music and cultural performances, and a monumental altar in Benito Juárez Park. This year’s program is expected to be announced soon.
San Miguel is worth a look in its own right. The town hall dates it to the 19th century, and its oldest section holds the tombs of settlers who arrived on the island in 1848.
Families come to lay candles and flowers on the tombs, so remember you’re a guest at someone else’s reunion and please ask before photographing anyone.
Hands-on In A Mayan Village
Most of Hanal Pixán happens behind front doors, which makes it hard to experience on a port day. Our Mayan Day of the Dead Tour opens that door on November 1 and 2 only.
In a replica Mayan village you have your face painted in traditional colors, help make your own pib, taste tamales, atole and pan de muerto, grind cacao the old way and finish with a theatrical performance. Pickup is at the cruise piers or downtown and north hotel zone hotels, with start times between 10am and 2pm. The whole outing takes about three hours, including 60 to 90 minutes in the village, so it fits comfortably around an all-aboard time.
However you spend it, arrive hungry. During Hanal Pixán, nobody leaves the table without eating, living or otherwise.
Visit our Tours and Excursions section for more things to do in Cozumel.
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