The Cartoon That Inspired Me to Travel to Mexico

Isla Ramie
Nov 1
6 min read

We love movies, popcorn, and snuggling up on uncomfortable furniture together as a family to watch movies. Usually, we the parents, request anything but a cartoon, but in 2019 my daughter asked to watch Disney Pixar's Coco. I begrudgingly agreed and we popped a large bowl our favorite movie treat, popcorn with white cheese powder and lots of butter and settled in to the piece of crap couch I bought for $500 on Overstock (the one time I will admit form over function was a mistake).

I was immediately enrapt by the film's glorious color palate of fuchsias, oranges, and sunny yellows. The warm tones and the papel picado (pecked paper banners) which are used for celebrations in Mexico. The movie opens with a storyboard played out with these paper banners to give some backstory on the Rivera Family.

The movie's central theme is a celebration of music and family and the hierarchy between the two. Miguel, the great grandson of the family's matriarch Coco who is quickly losing her memory, is torn between his dream of becoming a musician and following in the family footsteps and becoming a shoemaker. I know this sounds simplistic, but the movie has so many layers it is an onion and any way you slice it, you had better grab tissues because you are going to cry. Coco is so heart-warming and beautiful it has made it to our list of seasonal movies and we watch it every October before Dia de los Muertos (November 1-2) which we now celebrate as well.

The movie takes place in the time frame of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. Being raised Catholic, we attended church on All Saints Day, November 1st as a holy day of obligation. November 2nd we observed All Souls Day where "prays are offered for the faithful departed." As early as the ninth century, Benedictine monks observed and prayed for the departed and the practice was extended to the whole Catholic Church in 1915 during World War I (Schorn, 2011). Dia de los Muertos observances predate Catholic tradition by 3000 years spanning back to Meso-American cultures of the Aztec. These early peoples celebrated in the summer but Spanish influence from 16th century colonizers caused a merging of All Saints and All Souls Day with ancient traditions (Mejorado, 2022). Spanish Catholics celebrate this historic day of remembrance with beautiful flowers, sweet breads, and most importantly, ofrendas (offerings) placed on altars with to honor their deceased loved ones.

I was oblivious to any of this until I watched the movie Coco. Needless to say, my interest in the holiday wasn't transitory or casual. I wanted to understand and bear witness to this celebration. I read up on the tradition and learned that the art and cemetery scene in the movie was modeled after a real cemetery in Mixquic Mexico City. The moment I realized that, I knew I had to go. I had enough Marriott Reward Points book a hotel and we planned a nice 5 night getaway. It was actually our first trip without kids since our honeymoon. That was a 21 year gap and I can safely say, it was worth the wait! Mexico City was splendid dressed in orange marigolds, flowers that are said to help the spirits of the dead make their way back to the land of the living.

Mexico City (CMDX) is massive with a beautiful central park, Bosque de Chapultepec. The park was decorated for the holiday but even if we went at another time of the year there would have been so much to see. There were musicians, street vendors, art displays, fountains, and a beautiful cactus garden. The park is twice as large as New York's Central Park and it was a highlight of the trip. If you visit for Dia de los Muertos, be sure to plan a park day, at least for a couple of hours. If you are overwhelmed by options and are afraid of driving in a strange place I highly recommend hiring a guide from Tours by Locals. We hired Juan Silva for two days and visited Puebla and Taxco. He was absolutely fantastic and one of the best tour guides we ever had.

https://www.toursbylocals.com/tour-guides/mexico/mexico-city/guide-profile/juan-s-664d21e196689af34333b824?tourId=664d252c1bbe5b817c3524c0

The Alebrijes Parade takes place yearly and if you time your visit right, you can see the giant, paper-mache sculptures travel from the Zocalo to the Angel of Independence along the Paseo de Reforma. If you miss the parade like we did, you still can see the mythical figures which will adorn the streets through the holiday where they symbolically wait to guide souls to family celebrations.

The main reason for the trip was to visit the cemetery at Mixquic Mexico City. We hopped on a Viator tour for around $100 per person. The tour company didn't have the best communication and we were afraid we would miss it because we had a little trouble locating the pick up point based on the given instructions. We walked from our hotel to the meet up point and realized we didn't plan nearly enough time to take in everything Mexico City had to offer.

We made it to the tour bus just in the nick of time. Everyone who took the tour received a chocolate sugar skull. Sugar skulls are tradition symbolizing the sweetness of life rather than death and they are embellished with icing and sometimes the name of a deceased loved one. The tour was essentially a bus ride through the crowded city streets to a small town southeast of the city center known for its vibrant Day of the Dead festivities.

We arrived at the town just before dusk giving us time to wander the beautifully decorated homes and alleyways without being totally overwhelmed. We wandered the streets looking into the open doors of homes where elaborate altars were erected to honor loved ones that had passed. Altars have representations of the four elements, wind or air (the papel picado which blows in the breeze) earth (represented by food, especially bread) fire (lots of candles placed in cardinal direction so spirits can navigate home), and water so the spirits can quench their thirst. Of course there were thousands and thousands of spectacular orange marigolds that seem to cast their own light. Their fragrance is unmistakable and very pungent which attracts the spirits. Where orange represents earth and joy, purple marigolds represent death and grief. On streets and in large buildings artists create tapete de arena (tapestries) made of colored sand, beans, or flowers. Many of the scenes depict the passion of Christ or calaca (skeletons). The effort that goes into this holiday rivaled what we do in the United States for Christmas. It was incredible to witness the cultural significance of these two days.

As night fell the town became a celebration, vendors, pony rides, children trick or treating with us the Americans. We were sure to fill our pockets with sweets and pesos in advance anticipating this activity. We had a blast. The smell of incense (copal), candles, and flowers in the cemetery was intoxicating but soon the crowds became like nothing I had seen before.

We were packed in and moving through the streets like cattle, shoulder to shoulder and bodies pressing up against us to the front and rear. It was unsettling and I held Mike tightly and we decided to take our bag of toasted pepitas that we had bought from a street vendor and go enjoy them in the bus until it was time to leave. We sat in the bus for a good hour or more watching the streets dance around us. Wild dogs passing frequently and stopping to beg at the curb of a family bar-b-queing chicken to sell. It was like I was a part of the movie, and it was an incredible experience. I am glad that the tour arrived before the crowds and we could enjoy all of the artistry in a relaxed manner. Our trip would not have been complete without the cemetery visit. We did many other amazing activities on this trip that I will save for another post. The trip left a huge impression. I learned so much more than just about the Dia de Muertos celebration, mostly thanks to our guide, Juan. But what we did learn we brought back to share with our own family to start a similar tradition and keep the spirit of the season alive for generations to come.

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