Families spend the night in the town's two large cemeteries beside graves decked with bread, fruit and candles, some offerings of monumental size.
Next dates
November 1, 2026
The year after: November 1, 2027
These are the traditional dates. Programs are announced a few weeks before, so check with the town before you book.
Remind me before Cemetery vigil in TzintzuntzanAdd to my calendar: Google Calendar Apple or Outlook (.ics)
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| 29 | 30 |
- Fiesta days
Every fiesta in Michoacán, in your calendar: Google Calendar Apple or Outlook .ics file
Cemetery vigil: what happens
- Vigil in two cemeteries
- Monumental offerings
- Bread and candles on graves
- Procession with arches and music
- Dawn Mass in the cemetery
Plan your visit to Tzintzuntzan
Tours in Tzintzuntzan
Guided tours, tastings, and day trips in and around Tzintzuntzan.
Patzcuaro, Santa Clara del Cobre -Copper Town- & Tzintzuntzan
★ 5.0 (29) · From US$116
How to get to Tzintzuntzan
- From Morelia: about 47 min by car (50 km)
- Nearest airport: Uruapan (UPN), 57 min by car to Tzintzuntzan
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
About Tzintzuntzan
Tzintzuntzan is a small town on the shore of Lake Pátzcuaro that was once the capital of the Purépecha state. Above it stand the yácatas, five stepped platforms with rounded ends that look out over the lake, and in the center is a 16th-century Franciscan monastery complex with a huge atrium. People come for the ruins, the pottery and embroidery, the Señor del Rescate festival, and the Day of the Dead vigil in the cemetery.
More fiestas in Tzintzuntzan
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December
Purépecha cultural festival
A year-end Purépecha cultural festival at the ruins that includes the flaming ball game.
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February 2
Fiesta of the Señor del Rescate
Always on the Tuesday a week before Carnival Tuesday, it draws pilgrims from across Michoacán with its dance of angels and demons.
Moves every year; next: February 2, 2027.
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March 21 – 28
Santo Entierro procession
Villagers dressed as "spies" hunt for Jesus on horseback, visiting the old Christ images kept by local families, and on Good Friday all the Christs go out in procession.
Moves every year; next: March 21 – 28, 2027.
Santo Entierro procession: dates and what to see → -
October 4
Fiesta of Saint Francis
The town honors Saint Francis.
Other fiestas in November
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Noche de Muertos
Pátzcuaro, Michoacán · November 1 – 2
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Festival de las Almas Valle de Bravo, Estado de México · October 30 – November 7
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Day of the Dead
Amealco, Querétaro · October 30 – November 2
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Feria de la Purísima Concepción
Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato · November 28 – December 8
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Festival Internacional José Alfredo Jiménez
Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato · November 19 – 23
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Fiestas de San Andrés Ajijic, Jalisco · November 21 – 30