There are many towns in Yucatan that preserve small treasures inside that go unnoticed by the eyes of others. Hoctún have one of the most particular cemeteries in Yucatán.
I met Hoctún reading Yucatan Today, the reference magazine of Yucatan, who have been doing an excellent job for many years. Hoctún is a town near Mérida that has its detour on highway 180 that connects Mérida with Valladolid.
Surely few of us would stop if it were not for its peculiar cemetery, which places it on the route of those of us who like to travel calmly and peek at different and curious places.
The Hoctún cemetery They have the peculiarity of being very colorful. The gravestones of the tombs are decorated with striking colors and picturesque decorations. This makes it an entertaining and photogenic cemetery, a good stop on your way.
This year I decided to visit the Hoctún cemetery for DÍa de Muertos, a special date in the cultural scene of Mexico. On these dates, the tradition is lived in a special way in the Hoctún cemetery, where relatives come to dress their deceased.
What does it mean to dress the deceased? During these important dates, the tombstones in the cemetery are repainted, cleaned and redecorated: it is their way of honoring their dead. Just as the living clean and dress, the dead also do it this way.
During the dates of the Days of the Dead, relatives come to the Hoctún cemetery and paint the tombs. It is a tradition that is preserved but has been lost over time. Today you surely find families who get together to paint the tombstones, others have the workers paint them for them. Some just go to lay flowers and fix the grave, and there are families who get together with music and a chela while they talk and remember their dead.
Take advantage of your visit to ask them, do not be afraid to talk to strangers on your way, it is very nice that they explain their traditions to you, you will surely learn new things.
As a curiosity I was talking to the gravedigger from Hoctún Cemetery, whom they call the dead. His nickname comes from years ago he drank a lot, and he used to end up sleeping on the floor, literally falling dead from alcohol. So today, The dead He is the one who buries you in Hoctún.
How to get there by public transport? Bus leaves from the Northeast terminal of Mérida, street 67 x 52 and 50; hours 7:45, 9:15, 10:45, 12:30 and 14:30; it costs 23 pesos. Another option is to go by bus, they leave when they fill up in front of the same terminal, on Calle 67 and charge 25 pesos. The big bus takes between 1 hour and a little longer. Buses also arrive from Piste or Valladolid.
You can visit the cemetery throughout the year, it is worth the walk. If on the dates of Day of the Dead you are in this area, it gives you a plus to visit.
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This is one of the parties that we would like to see once, that color and that life among the dead. We like the change you have made to the website. Pure Life. We read http://www.infravg.com
Travelers, thank you.
We are still working on it to finish polishing, have been a few months of compu, happy with the new design.
It's always a pleasure to greet you guys.
We keep reading 🙂