Key Facts
- Who: Azcapotzalco’s mayor, Nancy Núñez, launched a Day of the Dead security operation with Navy, National Guard and city police.
- Where: Azcapotzalco, a north-western Mexico City borough; cemeteries, processions and public spaces are covered.
- Next: “Entre Xolos y Catrinas” festival runs 26 October–1 November; the parade is Sunday, 1 November, about 7:00 p.m. ET.
- Unknown: Personnel numbers, arrests and the exact start date of the operation have not been published.
Published Monday, 26 October 2026 · Source: Azcapotzalco borough announcements, INAH, Mexico City Historic Center Authority, Oaxaca and León governments
Marigolds are going up at the cemetery gates in Azcapotzalco, a borough in north-western Mexico City, and this year the Navy is helping to guard the crowds. The borough has opened a security operation for Day of the Dead, the holiday on 1 and 2 November when Mexican families welcome the souls of their dead home.
Families build altars with candles, photographs and food, then visit cemeteries day and night. Cemeteries fill with visitors, which is the setting for the borough’s operation.
Who Is Guarding Azcapotzalco’s Cemeteries?
Mayor Nancy Núñez led the launch of the operation in recent days. It brings together the Navy (the Secretaría de Marina, or Semar), the National Guard (Mexico’s federal security force) and the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), the Mexico City police.
The borough says the teams cover cemeteries, processions and public spaces around its cultural events. They also warn temporary businesses about Ley Seca, the “Dry Law” that restricts alcohol sales around the holiday.
The operation runs alongside the borough’s third Festival Tlalmanalli Azcatl, a local Day of the Dead festival with an altar contest. The reports we reviewed give no personnel numbers, arrests or hours of deployment.
Where Can Visitors See an Indigenous Altar?
At the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, an offering from Santa Rosa Xochiac opened at noon on Sunday, 25 October (2:00 p.m. ET). Santa Rosa Xochiac is an Indigenous community in the Álvaro Obregón borough, and the display is titled “Aromas y sabores en los altares de Santa Rosa Xochiac”, or aromas and flavours on the altars.
It stays open through Sunday, 1 November. The museum is run by INAH, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, a federal body under the Culture Ministry.
What Happens in the Historic Center?
The festival “Entre Xolos y Catrinas” runs from 26 October to 1 November in Mexico City’s Historic Center. Xolos are Mexico’s hairless dogs, and catrinas are elegantly dressed skeleton figures that became the holiday’s best-known symbol.
A night bicycle ride, “Leyendas sobre ruedas”, leaves at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, 29 October (8:00 p.m. ET). A fair selling cempasúchil, the orange marigold of the holiday, and crafts follows on Friday, 30 and Saturday, 31 October.
The festival ends with a parade of catrinas and catrines starting at about 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 1 November (7:00 p.m. ET, after US clocks go back that morning). Mexico City does not observe daylight saving time, so its clocks stay at UTC−6.
How Are Other States Preparing?
Oaxaca’s governor, Salomón Jara Cruz, announced more than 100 cultural and tourism activities between 26 October and 3 November. Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, is among the best-known places to see the holiday.
In León, a city in the central state of Guanajuato, police, firefighters, civil protection and a C4 centre (a command room fed by video cameras) are covering cemetery events. That operation also covers the Caminata del Despertar de las Ánimas, a walk of the “awakening spirits”, on 1 November.
What It Means for US Readers
Visitors flying in from the United States should expect uniformed security at cemeteries and festival sites in Azcapotzalco. Alcohol sales may be restricted under Ley Seca, although the reports we reviewed do not give the dates.
Check borough and city notices for route and traffic changes before you travel, because event schedules can shift at short notice. The Historic Center dates above are the ones to plan around.
What We Don’t Know Yet
The number of Navy, National Guard and city police officers in Azcapotzalco has not been published. Reports differ by a day or two on the exact start date, and we could not find the borough’s own release.
The reports we reviewed mention no arrests, injuries or incidents. No prediction market on the holiday exists, so there are no odds to show.
Related: what to do in Mexico City in November and why Janitzio cemetery is closed to tourists. More at Mexico news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Day of the Dead 2026?
Day of the Dead is observed on 1 and 2 November 2026. Events across Mexico City run from late October into early November.
What security is in place in Azcapotzalco?
A borough operation brings the Navy, National Guard and city police to cemeteries, processions and public spaces. Businesses are also warned about Ley Seca alcohol rules.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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