Día de los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta: What It Means and What to Expect

Every year at the end of October, Puerto Vallarta changes. A crane lifts a giant skull into place on the Malecón, a Catrina goes up that you can see from down the street, and the whole town starts getting ready to welcome back the people we have lost.

Chuck and I had never heard of a Catrina or Día de los Muertos before we moved to Mexico. When we decided to make the move, Chuck took me to see the movie Coco, and it stayed with me. Our first ofrenda was in October of 2018, and we have built one every year since, for our parents, for the people we love and for our dogs, who we have always called our kids. It is my favorite time of year, more than the holidays.

What it means

People often mix it up with Halloween, but Día de los Muertos is a celebration of the people who have died, and the feeling in the street is warmth, color and music. It goes back to Indigenous traditions that honored the dead long before the Spanish arrived, and those blended with the Catholic days of All Saints and All Souls on November 1 and 2. UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

The idea I love most is one you hear all over Mexico: as long as you are remembered, your soul never dies. The ofrenda is how you call them back and help them find their way home.

The calendar: which souls are welcomed when

Many families follow a day by day order. The dates vary by region and by family, but this is the version most people share.

• October 27 welcomes the pets who have passed away.
• October 28 is for people who died tragically or violently.
• October 29 is for those who drowned.
• October 30 is for the forgotten souls, the ones with no one left to remember them.
• October 31 is for children who died without being baptized and, in some traditions, babies who were never born.
• November 1 is for the angelitos, the children and babies.
• November 2 is for the adults.

Some sources split October 30 and 31 a little differently, so if your family has its own order, follow it. The city publishes an official program each year, and the dates of events change, so check it before you plan your days.

The ofrenda, item by item

Let me walk you through what goes on one, using ours.

• Photographs. They are the heart of it. A photo is the invitation, and it tells your loved one this place is for them.
• Marigolds. Called cempasúchil, they are the flower of the dead, and their color and strong scent are said to guide souls home. Many families lay a path of petals from the door to the altar.
• Candles. They give light to find the way.
• Water. A glass of water is for the thirst after a long journey.
• Salt. Often placed on the altar for protection, though not every family includes it.
• Pan de muerto. The sweet bread of the season, with the bones across the top.
• Favorite foods and drinks. This is what makes it personal. Put out what they actually loved, a tamal, a coffee, a cold beer.
• Papel picado. The cut paper banners stand for the wind and for how delicate life is.
• Sugar skulls. Often with a name written on them, they remind us that death is part of life.
• Copal. Burned like incense.

Water, food, papel picado and candles together stand for the four elements. And at the base of ours there is a small Buddha. He is not religious for Chuck and me. He is there for peace, tranquility and memory.

The names we call

On our ofrenda there are eight framed faces. They are Harold, Chuck's dad, Peggy, Chuck's mom, and Joyce, my mom, along with our dogs Finn, Bullet, Bernie, Miller and RuRu. On October 27, when the pets come home, they are the first ones we welcome. Saying their names out loud is how we call them back.

The Malecón

Over the last few years I have watched the Malecón get livelier every year, with many more sugar skulls and many more Catrinas than when we first came. The boardwalk is cleaned and dressed, and it feels like a vision of the afterlife by the sea. Local sponsors and businesses build the giant Catrinas, and they line the walk under the palms.

Puerto Vallarta holds a Guinness World Record for the tallest Calavera Catrina. The first was set on November 2, 2022, at 22.67 meters, about 74 feet.

The city then broke its own record on November 3, 2023, with a Catrina of 28.15 meters, about 92 feet.

At night the Malecón glows, and in Centro the lit alebrijes appear, painted creatures that light up after dark.

And then there are the parades, with mariachis, dancers, horseback riders, and whole streets stopping to watch.

If you are visiting

If you are here at the end of October, all of this is happening while you are here, and even if you never make it to the Malecón, you will run into it somewhere in town.

The city also puts on a festival called Recuérdame. The first one was in 2024, and when the banners came down, the city gave me four of them. I framed them, kept two, and gave two to clients who had just bought homes here.

Centro, the Zona Romántica and Amapas put you a short walk or ride from all of it. If you want help finding the right neighborhood, Hannah and I would be glad to show you around.

Whatever you build, say their names out loud, light a candle, and put out something they loved to eat. Feliz Día de los Muertos. You can find us at luxuryvallartarealty.com.

Traditions and dates vary by region and by family, and the city's event program changes each year. Please check the official program for this year's schedule.

Written October 2026.