This is a festivity both pagan and religious, the object of which is to honor the memory of the Saints and the faithful departed. The 30th and 31st of October are the days when the markets are more crowded than any other time of the year, for this is when purchases are made for all that is needed for the decoration of the altars of the dead and the corresponding festivities.

The event takes place the 1st and 2nd of November. In all the cemeteries of the city the tombs of the departed are lavishly decorated with flowers such as the cempazúchitl (a type of calendula) and candles.

The grand majority of the people arrange altars with offerings of flowers, fruits and food, including mezcal, cigarettes or whatever other gift that was part of the pleasure of the disappeared family member, as it is believed that on All Saints? Day (Todos Santos) their spirits visit us and partake of the essence of the offerings. On these occasions, special meals are prepared, such as black mole of turkey, typical sweets made of pumpkin or chilacayota, sweet bread, chocolate and many other traditional foods.

It is the custom in Oaxaca to collect "muertos" (the fruits and other food from the altars) a week later, and to participate in a "comparsa" (group of fancy- dressed, sometimes masked, people) dancing from house to house to celebrate "the life of death".

In the Alameda de León (park next to the Zócalo) there is an exhibit of mosaics or rugs made of flowers, such as is the custom to elaborate on the occasion of the raising of the cross, nine days after the burial of the departed one.

In addition, on the tourist promenade (andador turístico) there is an exhibit of the most representative offerings of different parts of the state. The popular art of All Saints? Day is demonstrated in a gamut of color, and there are also sugar skulls with names on them.

You can enjoy these celebrations in the cemeteries of the city of Oaxaca and surrounding towns. Also, in the Zocalo of the city of Oaxaca there are representations of the different aspects of the days of Todos Santos.