Besides being a sacred and historic tradition, Day of the Dead is a significant economic driver. (Eduardo Dorantes/Unsplash)
Mexico’s most distinctive holiday is here. A week of festivities culminates on Nov. 2, when the nation celebrates Day of the Dead. The annual honoring of departed ancestors sees families across Mexico visit cemeteries to leave offerings for lost loved ones, and gather as a family to enjoy communal meals and traditional pan de muerto (bread of the dead).
But besides being a sacred tradition, Day of the Dead is also a significant economic driver. According to the Tourism Ministry, this uniquely Mexican celebration is a major draw for foreign tourists. Family reunions also increase domestic tourism, as well as spending on food, offerings, costumes and events.
An altar is an essential part of the Day of the Dead offerings. Families can spend thousands of pesos on candles, snacks, flowers and other adornments. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)
So, what is the impact of Day of the Dead on Mexico’s economy, and the finances of Mexican families? This edition of Mexico in Numbers breaks it down.
How many Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead?
According to aStatista survey conducted in Mexico between October 2019 and March 2020, 91% of respondents said they celebrated Day of the Dead. Given that Mexico’s population isabout 127.5 million, that’s 116 million people – plus foreign visitors.
A survey by the National Alliance of Small Merchants (ANPEC) found that 70% of Mexicans consumepan de muerto, 50% put up an altar, and 15% take offerings to their loved ones in the cemetery.
How much is the average family expected to spend on Day of the Dead?
ANPEC’s survey found that the average Mexican family spends between 1,100 and 1,500 pesos (US $61) on Day of the Dead, broken down as follows:
–Food and traditional dishes: 350-400 pesos (US $19-22)
–Ornaments: 250-300 pesos (US $14-17)
–Candles: 150 pesos (US $8)
–Transport: 250 pesos (US $14)
Many families spend much more, especially if they travel, hold a traditional large family meal or throw a Day of the Dead party. A typical meal may cost up to 1,500 pesos (US $61), while a party for ten may cost up to 2,000 (US $110).
How much more expensive is it to prepare an altar this year?
Inflation has pushed the average cost of Day of the Dead altars up 30% from 2022, says ANPEC. The cost of candles has increased by 50% from last year, flowers by 38.8%, decorations by 36.3%, and pan de muertoand sugar skulls by 25%.
How much revenue will Day of the Dead generate in Mexico?
Nationwide, Day of the Dead is expected to generate 41.2 billion pesos (US $2.28 billion) in tourist revenue this year, according to Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marqués. The figure includes hotel costs for an estimated 2.37 million tourists, as well as travel costs for 4.44 million Mexicans visiting family.
In Mexico City alone, authorities have estimated that Day of the Dead activities will generate11.2 billion pesos (US $623 million). This includes 2 billion pesos (US $109 million) in hotel costs, $1.9 billion pesos (US $104 million) from cultural events, 1.7 billion pesos (US $93 million) from local visitors, 4.3 billion pesos (US $238 million) from offerings, and 1.2 billion pesos (US $65 million) from costumes.
2024 was likely a record year for remittances to Mexico. (File photo)
Remittances to Mexico have continued their stellar trajectory with another record-breaking figure in September, marking 41 consecutive months of year-on-year increases – a period dating back to June 2020.
Mexicans working abroad sent US $5.61 billion back to their families in September, an 11.4% increase from the same period in 2022. It was the third-highest monthly amount reported since records began, after the $5.7 billion received in May and $5.65 billion in July.
Chiapas has received an increasing amount of remittances and is now the fourth-biggest recipient in Mexico. (Cuartoscuro)
It brings Mexico’s total remittance income for the first nine months of this year up to $47.7 billion, a 9.5% increase over 2022.
The “unusually high” figure surprised analysts at Banco Base, who raised their forecast for Mexico’s total remittance growth in 2023 from 8.1% to 9.3%. Banco de México, Mexico’s central bank, made an even higher prediction at 9.5%.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was quick to celebrate the “unprecedented” $63 billion of remittances expected to flow into Mexico this year. At his morning press conference, he said that it is “something never seen before,” and claimed that Mexico has the highest remittance income per capita of any country in the world.
“We are a migrant people,” he said. “The fact that we have migrants, and they help their families, they do not turn their backs on their relatives, that is unique, exceptional. It happens elsewhere, but what happens in Mexico is unprecedented.”
Migrants working in the U.S. and elsewhere have sent home an increasing amount of remittances since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Shutterstock)
Guanajuato is the state with the highest amount of remittances, with $4.5 billion in the January-September period, followed by Jalisco with $4 billion and Michoacán with $3.9 billion. Chiapas came in fourth with $3.2 billion, having seen strong remittance growth over the last four years.
“The insertion of migrants from Chiapas and the transit migration that crosses the state are the main reason for this strong growth,” BBVA said.
Remittances to Mexico have beengrowing steadily since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020. Analysts at Monex highlighted the trend as one of the key drivers behind Mexican consumption and the strength of the Mexican peso.
However, high inflation means that the purchasing power of remittances has fallen. Banco Base said that after converting September’s remittance figure into Mexican pesos, it was 8.03% lower than in September 2022, making 11 consecutive months of year-on-year drops in the real value of remittances received.
President López Obrador celebrated Mexican migrants sending money home to their families. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
Furthermore, Banco de México pointed out that the rate of remittance growth is slowing, from 15.1% in the January-September 2022 to 9.5% in the same period of 2023.
“We believe that this inertia will be accentuated in the future by further weakness in the United States economy and the tightening of immigration policies,” the bank’s analysts said. Banorte experts agreed that remittance prospects for 2024 could be strongly affected by immigration policies enacted ahead of the U.S. election.
Mama Coco, supposedly based on Purépecha woman María Salud Ramírez Caballero, was a central character in the 2017 movie "Coco." (Screen Capture)
A giant Day of the Dead altar has been set up in the town of Santa Fe de la Laguna, the hometown of María Salud Ramírez Caballero, the woman who reportedly inspired the character of Mamá Coco in the Disney-Pixar film “Coco”.
Ramírez Caballero (left) and “Mama Coco”. (File photo)
Although Ramírez Caballero passed away in October 2022 aged 109, her family had not put up an altar until now, because according to local Purépecha traditions, the deceased cannot visit the land of the living until at least a year after their passing.
Released in 2017, Coco follows the story of Miguel, a boy who travels to the afterlife on Day of the Dead to find his great-grandfather, the husband of the fictional (and very old) Mamá Coco.
Although Pixar has not formally confirmed that Ramírez Caballero inspired Coco’s character, the resemblance between the real-life woman and the film’s character is remarkable. As a result, many tourists visited Ramírez Caballero’s home to take photographs with her beside a Coco poster. Even Michoacán’s Tourism Minister, Roberto Monroy paid tribute to Ramírez Caballero, calling her“a tireless woman and example who inspired this beloved character who went around the world.”
Lee Unkrich, the film’s director, revealed that Santa Fe de la Laguna was indeed the primary inspiration for the fictional village of Santa Cecilia. The town, which has a population of roughly 5,000 people, shares a similar size and layout to Santa Cecilia.
The elaborate altar to Ramírez in her hometown. (puentelibre.mx)
Santa Fe de la Laguna sits near Lake Pátzcuaro, one of Mexico’s most iconic Day of the Dead destinations.
The outbreak comes one year after H5N1 was detected in several chicken farms in Sonora and Nuevo León. (Cuartoscuro)
Avian influenza has once again been detected in the northern state of Sonora.
Citing Mexican authorities, the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) reported Thursday that a H5N1 bird flu outbreak had killed 15,000 of a flock of 90,000 laying hens on a farm in Cajeme, located in the south of the state. The remaining chickens were slaughtered.
Avian flu can be found in both wild and farmed birds. Outbreaks at poultry farms often result in large groups of chickens being slaughtered to stop the disease’s spread. Government of Mexico
The outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strand is the first in Mexico this season, the WOAH said.
It comes a year after almost 300,000 chickens had to be slaughtered when bird flu was detected on two farms in the Yaqui Valley near Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, and on one farm in Montemorelos, Nuevo León. Ciudad Obregón is the municipal seat of Cajeme.
The H5N1 avian flu subtype – which Mexico declared itself free of in early October – poses no danger to humans through the consumption of chicken meat or eggs.
The federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) said in a statement Wednesday that avian influenza had been detected on two farms in Cajeme located three kilometers apart. The second farm had 54,000 laying hens, all of which have been slaughtered.
The H5N1 avian flu does not pose a risk to humans through consumption of chicken meat or eggs. (Cuartoscuro)
SADER said that the federal animal health department had put a quarantine in place to prevent bird flu from spreading. Disinfection was underway at both farms, the ministry said.
It also said that “epidemiological research work” is continuing in Sonora as the seasonal influx of migratory birds takes place. “Epidemiological vigilance” has been strengthened across Mexico, SADER said.
Agriculture sanitation authority Senasica said on Oct. 4 that a case of H5N1 bird flu had been detected in a “clinically healthy” migratory duck in Jalisco. Earlier the same day, the government declared Mexico H5N1-free in its official gazette.
The government last year carried out a large vaccination campaign against H5N1 avian influenza in high-risk areas, including Sonora. SADER said last week that tests were being conducted to determine if “the vaccine applied last year is effective in confronting the virus that entered in 2023.”
A large-scale vaccination program against H5N1 avian flu was implemented last year in high-risk areas. (Shutterstock)
The ministry said that a new vaccination campaign could begin in early November.
On Wednesday, SADER said that farms “must avoid the entry of outside people” to their poultry production units and “scrupulously check their facilities” for gaps through which wild birds and other “harmful fauna” could enter.
Workers who enter poultry production units should shower before coming onto the farm and change their clothes on site, the ministry said.
It also noted that Senasica has advised farmers, vets and the public in general to immediately report any suspected outbreaks of avian flu.
Mexican and Chinese firms have taken the lead in industrial real estate in Monterrey, according to a new report from CBRE. (Real Estate Market Mexico)
Mexican companies lead the way in occupying industrial real estate in Monterrey, Nuevo León, according to an October report by real estate services firm CBRE.
By the end of Q3, the report states, domestic companies accounted for 38% of industrial space demand in Monterrey, followed by Chinese firms at 23% and U.S. companies at 19%.
Nuevo León, home to industrial city Monterrey, boasts the highest employment rate in Mexico this year. (Daniel Escobedo)
The industry that reported the largest growth in occupation of industrial space was the manufacturing sector at 38%, followed by the logistics and transportation sector at 33% and the automotive sector at 28%.
“The logistics and transportation sector had significant growth, going from 18% to 33% of the industrial demand in Monterrey. This increase was due to the expansion of Mexican companies in this industry,” CBRE’s analysis said.
Between July and September, Monterrey saw a net acquisition of 431,000 square meters, an increase derived from pre-leased and custom-built properties, also known as build-to-suit projects. This led to a total of 1.3 million square meters acquired this year by the end of the third quarter – the highest figure ever recorded in one year.
CBRE added that during Q3, the total area of leased spaces acquired stood at 350,000 square meters. Compared to previous quarters, most of this acquisition came from leasing existing properties, which represented 68% of the total leased space. Build-to-suit properties accounted for 16% of that space.
Saltillo, Coahuila was highlighted as the most likely metropolitan area to receive foreign companies by the Bank of Mexico. (Sachavir/Wikimedia)
Overall, industrial inventory in Monterrey closed at 13.8 million square meters, an annual increase of 13.5%. With 1.2 million square meters currently under construction and 700,000 in the planning stage – all of which are expected to commence construction in the next few months – the industry reports ongoing growth.
“This level of industrial activity has kept the vacancy or availability rate at its lowest historical levels, which has also allowed the continuous increase in starting rental prices within all the city’s sub-markets,” the report explained, adding that Monterrey’s vacancy rate closed at 1.4%, continuing a downward trend that began in 2021.
In its most recent report on regional economies, the Bank of Mexico identified Monterrey as the second most likely metropolitan area to receive relocating foreign companies, behind only Saltillo, Coahuila.
The nearshoring-driven arrival and expansion of transnational companies to Monterrey has also boosted Nuevo León’s employment rate.
According to the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), more than 80,000 new jobs had been created in Nuevo León by late August, a figure that represents 12.9% of all new jobs in the country.
Already exceeding its 2022 total, these numbers make Nuevo León the state with the highest employment rate in Mexico.
If an individual is said to give you a plane, it means he’s ignoring you. (Freepik)
When we hit the road in English, we are not actually striking the pavement, but we are on the road again. When we catch a red-eye, there is only a chance that eye reddening may occur: we’re merely boarding a flight that travels through the night.
In the same way, Mexican Spanish uses certain transportation idioms and sayings that may have meanings far beyond the words’ face value. Do you have the travel bug? Then come with us as we delve into some common Mexican expressions.
1. Darle el avión
Literal meaning: to give (someone) the plane.
If a wealthy benefactor were to gift you a plane, you would be elated. However, in Mexican Spanish, you won’t be so pleased. That’s because if an individual is said to give you a plane, it means he’s telling you to get lost or, at the very least, is ignoring you.
“Traté de explicarle a mi jefe por qué no puedo trabajar los sábados, pero solo me dio el avión.”
“I tried to explain to my boss why I can’t work Saturdays, but all he did was give me a deaf ear.”
2. Írsele el avión
Literal meaning: to have an airplane get away from you
Ever missed your flight? What a drag! Something akin happens when we are busily relating an event to a colleague and suddenly lose our train of thought. It turns out that Mexicans don’t lose their train; they miss their planes! Use this phrase to explain away your next brain fart.
“¿Qué estaba diciendo? Se me fue el avión.”
“What was I saying? I lost my train of thought.”
3. Cajón
This is the Mexican Spanish word of choice for a parking space. (Freepik)
Literal meaning: a big box
One day in my workplace a supervisor called and announced that I had been assigned a “cajón.” Since “caja” in Spanish means box, I imagined that I had received a big box of something. As it turns out, this is the Mexican Spanish word of choice for a parking space. So even though you may have to think outside the box, please, by all means, park inside your box.
“A usted se le ha asignado el cajón #65.”
“You have been assigned parking space #65.”
4. Camellón
Literal meaning: the big camel
The median strip is a narrow swath of land that divides two or more lanes of traffic. Imagine that you could slice the entire boulevard and look at it transversally from pavement level. What would you see? The medium strip would appear as a large hump in the middle in comparison to the lanes on either side. Originally a name for the ridge of earth between furrows in a garden, some clever wit applied it to these barriers the term has stuck. Lesson? Drive safely—and watch out for those camels!
“Tras una discusión con su novia, el joven chocó contra el camellón.”
“After a fight with his girlfriend, the young man crashed into the median strip.”
5. Chapopote
Literal meaning: a perfumed paste (from Nahuatl)
Meet the local word for asphalt, a departure from the standard Spanish “asfalto”. Note the following quote from the Mexican newspaper El Universal:
“La carretera está … perdida entre grandes tramos de terracería y retazos de chapopote.”
“The highway is … lost between swaths of dirt roads and remnants of asphalt.”
6. Claxon
Score another genericide. Genericide? That’s what legal experts call it when a brand name becomes generic. For example, Band-aid began as a brand name, but its usage became so common that any adhesive bandage is now called Band-aid, regardless of the brand. In this case, the Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Company of Newark, New Jersey bought the rights to an early horn that made an “awooga” sound, now associated with antique vehicles. The brand name Klaxon was chosen from a Greek word meaning “I shriek.” In modern Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, although the dictionary may say “bocina,” any vehicle horn is called a claxon.
“En una fiesta de graduación virtual, todos se subieron a sus coches y dieron la vuelta al barrio tocando el claxon.”
“At a virtual graduation party, they all got in their cars and started going around the neighborhood honking their horns.”
7. Combi
Mexicans refer to any public minibus, regardless of brand, as a “combi”. (Autobuses y camiones FB)
Literal meaning: combination
In the early ʻ50s Volkswagen introduced its iconic Type 2 van, or Kombi. Its removable seats made the vehicle a combination that proved massively successful and was quickly embraced by the hippie movement. In Mexico, the vehicles were put into service as mass transit. To this day, Mexicans refer to any public minibus, regardless of brand, as a “combi.”
“¿Dónde puedo agarrar la combi a Indios Verdes?”
“Where can I catch the minibus to Indios Verdes?”
8. Mueble
Literal meaning: furniture
Our Mexican host drove us to a gas station near Piedras Negras, Coahuila where we were going to join another friend of ours. Parking and turning off the motor, the driver turned to me and asked: “¿No sabes qué mueble trae?” Since word-for-word that means, Do you know what furniture she’s coming in?” I was inclined to respond: “I dunno. A love sofa maybe”. Lesson? Remember that in northern Mexico any vehicle is a “mueble.”
“¿No sabes qué mueble trae?”
“Do you know what kind of vehicle she’s driving?”
9. Pulmonía
Literal meaning: pneumonia
Staying healthy is a priority now more than ever. No one in their right mind would mess with pneumonia. If you visit the lovely port city of Mazatlán, though, you might think otherwise. There, golf carts have been outfitted as public taxis and are known by the moniker of “pulmonías.” But don’t fret. When these novelty vehicles began to carry passengers, envious taxi drivers spread the rumor that riding in them would expose you to pneumonia. The false claim wasn’t lost on the public, who have proudly embraced these touristy taxis and their contagious name. Today’s Mazatlán even boasts a monument to the “pulmonía.”
“¿Cuánto cuesta viajar en una pulmonía en Mazatlán?”
“How much does it cost for a ride on the golf-cart taxis in Mazatlán?”
10. Hecho la mocha
Literal meaning: turned into something cut off
During the heyday of the railroad, a practical need arose in the rail yards in order to service the trains. The large locomotives had a difficult time maneuvering in the narrow spaces. The solution? Smaller engines were brought in. These units garnered the nickname “mocha,” from the verb “mochar” – to cut off or shorten – because they appeared clipped in comparison to the full-size engines. These little guys were not only more agile but gave birth to this swift idiom.
“Cuando a mi abuelo le dio el infarto, mis papás y yo tuvimos que irnos hechos la mocha.”
“When my grandpa had a heart attack, my parents and I had to leavein a hurry.”
So there you have it! Consider this sampler part of your linguistic passport as you travel around the country. Practice these new terms liberally. Just make sure you don’t lose your train of thought.
Lee Jamison has lived and worked in Latin America for more than 25 years and is a resident of Mexico. He operates the site insiderspanish.com and is the author of the book My Burning Tongue: Mexican Spanish available in paperback and Kindle formats at amazon.com. He has also written guides on the Spanish spoken in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, has achieved the Guinness World Record for the largest Day of the Dead altar, as part of the ongoing Santa Lucía festival.
The altar, which is officially named “Monumental Altar: A tribute to Mexican tradition” measures 1,212 square meters, and is located on the city’s Paseo Santa Lucía, in Monterrey’s central Fundidora Park.
The altar, which measures more than 1,200 square meters, was certified as the largest by the Guinness team. (Samuel García/X)
The enormous altar is a blend of traditional design and modern technology, adorned with bottles of mezcal, sugar skulls and effigies of xoloitzcuintle dogs, as well as video mapping technology that projects f giant skulls onto the altar.
The altar is also the stage for a new musical from Monterrey composer Viviana Barrera, featuring songs representative of Mexican culture. With titles like “La Llorona,” “Canción Mixteca” and “Zandunga” – a form of Mexican waltz – the production seeks to underscore the connection between ancient and modern Mexico.
Nuevo León Governor Samuel García celebrated the record on social media.
“Nuevo León has the Guinness Record for the world’s largest Day of the Dead altar. Unstoppable!” he posted.
The Monterrey altar beat out last year’s record holder, located in the state of Hidalgo. (Samuel García/X)
Many major Mexican cities set up so-called “mega ofrendas,” though few come close to the size of Monterrey’s record-holder. Last year’s record-holder was a 1,044 square meter altar in the state of Hidalgo.
Monterrey’s triumph may be short-lived: the city of Xalapa, Veracruz has unveiled a 1,567 square meter mega ofrenda of its own, although it is yet to be certified as an official world record.
The Monterrey altar will remain on public display until Sunday.
The Mexican peso has strengthened against the US dollar this week, after the U.S. Federal Reserve decided to hold its funds rate steady. (Cuartoscuro)
It’s Day of the Dead, but there’s life in the Mexican peso yet.
The peso has strengthened every day this week and reached 17.54 to the US dollar at midday on Thursday.
The Bank of Mexico has maintained high interest rates this year which has contributed to the peso’s strength against the US dollar. (MOISÉS PABLO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The USD:MXN exchange rate at 9:30 a.m. Mexico City time was 17.62, according to Bloomberg. That’s a difference of exactly 1 peso compared to the best position it has reached this year – 16.62 on July 28.
Compared to its position at the close of markets last Friday, the peso has strengthened 49 centavos or 2.8% against the greenback.
The currency closed just above 18 to the dollar on Tuesday, but appreciated to 17.76 by the end of trading on Wednesday after the United States Federal Reserve held its funds rate steady at a range of 5.25%-5.5%.
Analysts cite the broad gap between the Bank of Mexico’s benchmark interest rate – currently 11.25% – and that of the Fed as one factor that has helped the peso appreciate this year after it started the year at about 19.5 to the greenback.
The Bank of Mexico, which has maintained its key rate at 11.25% since raising it to that level in late March, will hold its next monetary policy meeting on Nov. 9.
Its board has repeatedly said that it will be necessary to maintain the benchmark rate at its current level for “an extended period” in order to achieve “an orderly and sustained convergence of headline inflation to the 3% target.”
Annual headline inflation was 4.27% in the first half of October. The figure for the entire month of October hasn’t yet been published.
The crash killed all four crew members on board. (Cuartoscuro)
Four crew members of an air ambulance were killed in a crash in Morelos on Wednesday, state authorities said.
A light plane came down in the municipality of Temixco in the early afternoon, according to a statement posted to social media by the Morelos Civil Protection agency (CEPCM).
The site of an air ambulance crash in Morelos. (Screen captures)
Citing preliminary information, it said that four crew members were killed. The news magazine Proceso reported that the victims were three men and one woman.
The accident occurred near the Cuernavaca airport, which is located in Temixco. Photos posted to social media by the CEPCM showed smoke rising from a scrubby hill near other hills covered with trees.
The agency didn’t mention the cause of the accident, but said that the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating. Civil Protection personnel, soldiers, National Guard officers and police responded to the crash.
Proceso said that the aircraft – reportedly a Learjet 35 – may have been approaching the Cuernavaca airport to land.
The aviation news website Transponder 1200 reported that witnesses suggested that excess speed may have been a factor in the accident.
This is the first time the annual yoga event will be held outside of Mexico City. (Joshua Wilson/Unsplash)
Cancún will host the National Yoga Conference, for the first time from Nov. 10-12.
“Oftentimes when you think of Cancun, you think of partying, but it is time to think about well-being and ways to improve your health,” Ana Paula Domínguez, founder of the Mexican Yoga Institute, told reporters on Tuesday.
The 2023 National Yoga Conference has ditched Mexico City for the sunny beaches of Cancún. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The event will include a variety of activities, and this is the first time in the event’s 20-year history that it will be held outside of Mexico City.
“We really wanted to stop having the event in Mexico City. Thanks to my partner Fernando de Olmo, we approached the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council and shared our idea. They liked it and decided to support us in doing this event,” Domínguez said.
Free activities like meditation sessions and live music will be hosted at the Malecón Tajamán, while yoga activities for more experienced practitioners will have a cost, and will be hosted at the Westin Resort & Spa.
Tickets are available to local residents at a discounted rate.
This year’s event boasts a packed lineup of practitioners and speakers. (Mexican Yoga Institute)
Attendees must bring their own yoga mats and bottles of water.
Organizers expect some 3,000 attendees over the course of the weekend, including international visitors from the United States, mainly from Texas and Miami.
According to Domínguez, Cancún has seen a rise in the opening of yoga centers, driven by awareness of promoting physical and mental health. She estimates the city now has at least 50 yoga centers.
For more information about tickets and the event’s full program, check the event website.
