During the winter holidays, I had the privilege of returning to my home country, Mexico. I come from a small town, San Andres Mixquic, which is very well known all around México for our vivid celebrations during the Day of the Dead. One interpretation of the meaning of “Mixquic”, is “Land of the Dead” in Nahuatl, an old Aztec language. 

With a population of 12 thousand people, the town is very close. Last year, they broke the Guinness world record for the biggest offering of the Day of the Dead in history. It is very culturally rich, and every year thousands of people visit to witness the colourful and entertaining celebrations. 

A fun fact is that in the Disney movie Coco, the church/graveyard was based on this town, which is located near the border of Mexico City and the State of Mexico. It is a fun contrast to Mexico City most people are familiar with. , The  whole urbanised area, on the outskirts of Mexico City, is fascinating, with self-grown crops, and everyone has their own business, giving it  a good sense of community, 

Despite the general insecurity and lack of safety around Mexico, it is a relatively safe place compared to the rest of Mexico. It is accustomed to tourism (one day a year).

Everyone owns their own business, and my family has one, too. I spent a large part of the holidays working in my family’s corner store. This was a refreshing and entertaining experience, as I gained valuable customer service experience while enjoying the holidays with my family.