Editor’s Note
MexicoFlow — Settle In, Branch Out 🍂
The marigolds are blooming, altars are rising, and Mexico’s most vibrant season is here. From fall festivals to soulful food, this is the time to explore, reflect, and live fully.
Let’s step into the magic of late October and early November.
💡 Need-to-Know Update
🎸 Zoé Live in CDMX — October 12 & 13, 2025
Mexico’s iconic alt-rock band returns to Estadio GNP Seguros with a neon-drenched dream pop show. Expect hits like Labios Rotos and Vía Láctea — perfect for a cool autumn night in the capital.
🎶 Coca-Cola Flow Fest — Nov 22–23, 2025
Latin America’s biggest reggaetón and urban music festival returns to CDMX’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Ideal if you love Bad Bunny, Feid, Rauw Alejandro, and global urban beats.
💀 Día de Muertos Season Begins
Across Mexico, cemeteries glow with candles, plazas fill with catrinas, and families build altars bursting with marigolds. It’s Mexico’s most heartfelt celebration — not of fear, but of memory, love, and joyful remembrance.
💱 Money Matters
💳 Choose the Right Travel Card
Foreign transaction fees can quietly erode your travel budget.
If you’re upgrading, Chase Sapphire® cards remain top-tier:
- 125,000 bonus points with Sapphire Reserve®
- 75,000 bonus points with Sapphire Preferred®
(If you’re approved via this link, I may be rewarded — thank you for supporting MexicoFlow!)
🌎 Avoid Conversion Markups
When paying with a card, always choose to be charged in pesos, not USD.
Dynamic currency conversion often adds 4–8% unnecessary fees.
💵 Keep Cash Handy
Cards work almost everywhere now, but you’ll still want pesos for mercados, street food, taxis, and small cafés.
Use trusted ATMs like HSBC, Scotiabank, Banorte for better exchange rates.
💡 Pro Tip: Notify your bank before traveling to avoid fraud-flagged card freezes.
🏵️ Mexico Living Tip
Plan Early for Día de Muertos Travel
Oaxaca, Pátzcuaro, and Mexico City book up quickly — secure rooms and buses now.
💡 Bonus: Skip the airports.
Luxury bus lines like ETN, Primera Plus, and ADO GL offer reclining seats, onboard movies, and Wi-Fi for less than half the airfare.
🔒 Digital Safety Tip
Meeting landlords, booking rentals, dating online, or hiring providers abroad?
Verify before you trust.
Use SocialCatfish to check profiles, photos, or phone numbers — a simple step that prevents scams and fake identities.
Smart travel starts with smart connections.
💬 Language & Learning Tip
Speak Spanish with confidence, anywhere.
TalkPal helps you practice real conversations, improve pronunciation, and learn local expressions — your on-demand language partner.
👉 Start learning at TalkPal.ai
🛡 Health & Insurance Highlight
Emergency Medical Plan Essentials for Expats
🎥 Watch on YouTube
In this video, Brett explains:
- How emergency plans actually work abroad
- What hospitals require upfront
- When evacuations are triggered
- What translation help looks like during emergencies
Know your coverage before you need it.
📌 Learn more → Get a Free Quote
🌍 City Spotlight: Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca
Walkability: High (especially Centro)
Cost: $$
Health Access: Good (private clinics + regional hospitals)
Why Expats Love Oaxaca:
- Creative, artisan-driven energy
- World-famous cuisine
- Walkable neighborhoods
- Deep cultural and ancestral traditions
- The most iconic Día de Muertos experience in Mexico
🕯️ How Oaxaca Became the Heart of Día de Muertos
Oaxaca de Juárez isn’t just a city — it’s a living museum where ancient belief systems breathe through modern streets. Its connection to death as a continuation of life predates Catholicism by more than a thousand years.
🌽 Pre-Hispanic Roots
Before the 1500s, Zapotec and Mixtec communities believed:
- Death was a transition, not an ending
- Ancestors returned to visit
- Offerings and rituals sustained the bond between worlds
Burials included food, tools, and personal items — a custom echoed in the tombs of Monte Albán and Mitla.
When Catholic friars introduced All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, indigenous practices blended with European symbolism, forming the Día de Muertos altars we know today.
💀 The Blending of Two Worlds
Oaxaca’s ofrendas became a bridge:
- Zapotec candles + Catholic crosses
- Marigold arches + rosaries
- Sugar skulls + saints
- Family offerings + church processions
Two traditions meeting — not replacing, but weaving together.
🌼 Why Oaxaca Stands Out Today
Artistry & Handcrafts
Alebrijes, sugar skulls, carved masks, papel picado — all handmade, all symbolic.
Community Parades (Comparsas)
Neighborhoods create their own costumed parades, filled with satire, brass-band music, and dance.
Cemeteries as Living Altars
On November 1–2, cemeteries glow with candles and cempasúchil. Families stay through the night sharing stories, food, mezcal, and memory.
Culinary Traditions
Mole negro, sesame-covered pan de muerto, hot chocolate de agua — flavors deeply tied to remembrance.
🕊️ From Local Tradition to Global Symbol
By the mid-20th century, photographers and anthropologists documented Oaxaca’s rituals, eventually positioning the city as the world’s cultural epicenter of Día de Muertos.
Today, global tourism amplifies it — but at its core, Oaxaca’s celebration remains deeply personal.
📜 Spotlight on Mexico’s Icons
José Guadalupe Posada & La Catrina
Posada’s early-1900s engraving satirized vanity across social classes.
Today, La Catrina is the smiling, elegant symbol of Día de Muertos — appearing in murals, parades, face paint, and sculptures across Mexico.
⚖️ Legal & Residency Corner
Cemetery Access & Local Rules During Muertos
Some towns restrict nighttime access or charge symbolic entry fees.
Check with municipal or tourism offices before attending vigils or cemetery celebrations to avoid fines and ensure respectful participation.
🔗 Call to Action
Planning a trip or relocation? Get coverage that keeps you safe while exploring Mexico:
👉 Get a Free Quote
Already insured? We can match your plan to hospitals near you:
👉 Get a Free Quote
🌮 Fun Foodie Fact
In Oaxaca, pan de muerto often comes bone-shaped, dusted with sugar, and paired with chocolate de agua made from local cacao.
Sweet + bitter — a symbolic balance of life & death.
🥑 Food of the Week: Mole Negro & Calabaza en Tacha
Mole Negro:
A rich, velvety blend of chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, plantains, and cacao — Oaxaca’s signature festival dish.
Calabaza en Tacha:
Pumpkin simmered in piloncillo, cinnamon, and clove until caramelized.
A seasonal offering symbolizing harvest and remembrance.
🌼 See You Among the Marigolds Next Week!
Stay safe and enjoy the journey,
Brett LaMar
Senior Insurance Broker for Expats in Mexico
📱 WhatsApp: +52 322 274 0391
📧 Email: brett.l@expatinsurance.com
🌐 brettlamar.com