Yucatán
Day of the Dead photoshoot · Mérida
In short
Day of the Dead photoshoot in Mérida starts at $200: 30 min on location with a photographer who works in Mérida, and 20 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 7 days.
Why choose Day of the Dead photoshoot in Mérida?
Day of the Dead in Mérida is Hanal Pixán, the Maya "food of the souls", and it looks different from the Oaxaca or Mexico City version: white huipiles, embroidered flowers, altars with mucbipollo, the large tamal baked underground, and painted faces walking through the colonial barrios. The Ayuntamiento's Festival de las Ánimas turns the Centro into a stage for a week, and a portrait session in costume is a natural part of it. The 30-minute session is set in La Ermita or San Juan, two of the oldest barrios on the procession route, in the last light before the crowds.
Worth knowing about Mérida
The 2026 programme of the Ayuntamiento de Mérida sets the Paseo de las Ánimas for Friday 30 October from 6:00 pm, from the Cementerio General to the Parque de San Juan. A 30-minute costume session on that route starts at about 5:00 pm and ends ahead of the procession; covering its start as well is a longer session, quoted in writing before booking.
What does the session in Mérida look like?
- Barrio de La Ermita
- The chapel and cobbled lanes on the procession route, quiet in the late afternoon before the crowd.
- Parque de San Juan and its arch
- Where the Paseo de las Ánimas ends, with the colonial arch as a backdrop.
- Altars in the Centro
- Hanal Pixán altars set up for the festival, photographed with permission of those who built them.
What does Day of the Dead photoshoot in Mérida include?
- 30-minute portrait session during the Día de Muertos season
- 20 edited photos
- Online gallery delivered within 7 days
- Locations chosen among public streets, plazas and community displays, not private family altars
- Session timed to start once your catrina or catrín face painting is finished
FAQ — Day of the Dead photoshoot in Mérida
When is Hanal Pixán in Mérida?
Hanal Pixán centres on 1 and 2 November, the dates the Secretaría de Cultura gives for Day of the Dead, and Mérida's Festival de las Ánimas fills the Centro in the days before. In 2026 the Ayuntamiento lists the Paseo de las Ánimas for 30 October from 6:00 pm.
Can we photograph the Paseo de las Ánimas in Mérida?
Yes. The Paseo de las Ánimas is a public procession on the streets of Mérida, from the Cementerio General to the Parque de San Juan, and a Hanal Pixán session booked longer than the 30-minute package can follow its start. Family altars and people in costume are photographed close up only with their permission.
How is catrina make-up handled for a Hanal Pixán session in Mérida?
Catrina face painting for a Mérida Hanal Pixán session is arranged with a make-up artist and is best done at your hotel about 90 minutes before the photographer arrives. Traditional Yucatecan dress, a white embroidered huipil or terno, is the choice that makes the pictures specific to Mérida.