Xantolo

In the Huasteca - the lush, hot hill country where Hidalgo, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi meet - Day of the Dead goes by its Nahuatl-rooted name, Xantolo, and takes a form found nowhere else. The dead are received not only with altars but with dance: cuadrillas of masked figures - los viejos, the old ones - move house to house and through plazas for days, dancing sones to violin, jarana and quinta huapanguera. The wooden masks are the tradition's soul, carved as grinning elders, devils, ranchers and death itself; the dancers, by custom, embody returning souls and must not be recognized. Homes raise altars arched in cempasuchil marigolds and stocked with tamales, coffee and aguardiente; paths of petals lead the dead in from the road. The nights of November 1 and 2 bring vigils, church bells tolling through darkness and cemeteries washed in candlelight, before the masks "die" or retire at the closing destape. Huejutla in Hidalgo and Tempoal in Veracruz stage the largest gatherings, but every village dances its own.

What you actually see

• The cuadrillas - masked dancers moving door to door for days.
• The masks - carved elders, devils and death, made to conceal souls.
• The marigold altars - arched ofrendas in every home.
• The vigil nights - candlelit cemeteries and huapango into the dark.

When to go

Arrive by October 30 and stay through November 2 - the build-up, vigil nights and closing dances are one arc. Book Huasteca lodging weeks ahead; it is scarce and fills.

Honest expectations

This is living devotion, not a show - ask before photographing altars or entering cemeteries, and follow local lead everywhere. The Huasteca is hot, humid and far: roads are long and winding. Respectful visitors are warmly received, often to the point of being fed beyond argument.

Nearby

The Huasteca Potosina's waterfalls and the Tolantongo canyons make natural extensions on either flank of the celebration country.