Christmas in Mexico City: Piñatas, Ponche, & Posadas!

For a Minnesotan living in Mexico City, Christmas feels a little different these days. The snowstorms and cold of my childhood holiday seasons just don’t happen here! (No complaints: I love the chilly nights and crisp, sunny days of December in Mexico City.)

Nonetheless, there are subtle signs Christmas is coming to the metropolis. You’ll spot little old cars topped with giant, brightly colored piñatas — their seven shiny points reflecting the Seven Deadly Sins. On the weekends, families head south to Amecameca, chopping down their Christmas trees at farms in the shadow of two volcanoes. Bright lights and decorations grace businesses and homes around the city. Every office and friend group celebrates with a posada, a lively Mexican Christmas party.

Here, I’ll be sharing a guide to the best places and events to experience the holiday season in and around the city!

Reforma Avenue

Reforma, the elegant main avenue of Mexico City, is a beautiful place to walk and explore any time of the year. But December brings an especially festive air to the grand boulevard: poinsettias! City workers seasonally change the plants on Reforma from spring flowers to marigolds for Day of the Dead.

This time of year, that means the stunning red poinsettia. These flowers are native to Mexico, going by the name nochebuenas (midnight flowers). Today, poinsettias are a popular Christmas decoration in the U.S. and elsewhere. Long ago, however, they were used for medicine and ritual purposes by the Aztecs (Mexica). Centuries ago, the flower was called cuetlaxochitl and symbolized purity. When the Spanish arrived to Mexico, they co-opted the poinsettia in the 17th Century as part of their Catholic Christmas celebrations.

While not everyone is aware of all this backstory, the end result of the nochebuena’s history is striking: thousands of blooms lining Reforma Avenue for miles! Take a morning stroll along the avenue from Chapultepec Park and ending at the Angel of Independence for the most iconic view of the poinsettias. There, you’ll find a sea of red flowers with the famed golden angel statue glinting in the background.

Mercado Jamaica

As Mexico City families gear up for the holidays, there’s a one-stop shop for all their Christmas decorations. In the U.S., this would be a superstore, like Target or Michael’s. But in Mexico City, there’s somewhere much better: the Mercado Jamaica! This legendary downtown market stretches on and on. Year-round, it forms the heart of the city’s flower trade, supplying thousands of blooms to both vendors and direct customers.

The holiday season brings a special feel to the market, as it fills up with poinsettias and other Christmas-y flowers, the walls and ceilings of many stands lined with festive piñatas. It really gets you in the spirit of the Mexican Christmas season!

Atlixco

A few hours outside Mexico City, Atlixco is one of the region’s loveliest pueblos mágicos (magic towns). Perched in the mountains of Puebla and overlooking the region’s two volcanoes, the colonial village has a wondrous setting year-round. Christmastime means one thing in Atlixco: the annual lights festival, called “La Villa Iluminada” (The Illuminated Village).

From late November through January 6, the town comes alive with elaborate lights displays lining every plaza and historic street. I recommend staying in lovely Puebla City for a night, then heading out to Atlixco (a half hour away) for a day of exploring, culminating in the incredible lights displays. Check out my full guide to the “magic town” here, and be sure to visit the gorgeous fields of poinsettias nearby!

Pastorela

Mexico has many unique Christmas traditions, but one of the most iconic is the pastorela. This is basically a play depicting the nativity, but it might not be exactly what you read in the Bible. In this dramatized version, shepherds traveling to see Jesus have to confront the devil in order to continue. While the Spanish introduced this custom to Mexico during their evangelization efforts, it’s become a wholly Mexican form of cultural expression, combining Christian beliefs with indigenous traditions.

A fantastic place to experience a traditional pastorela is Tepotzotlan, an old-fashioned town north of Mexico City. The play is held in the courtyard of a stunning colonial museum, making for an atmospheric setting. Even better, you get the chance to participate in a Christmas posada as well! During the show, enjoy ponche, classic seasonal foods like buñuelos (sweet fritters), and piñata breaking. These piñatas are made out of clay, the way they were centuries ago.

Folkloric Ballet

Finally, during December and a bit of January, Mexico City’s lauded Ballet Folklórico puts on a spectacular show: Navidades en México (Christmas in Mexico). This dance performance features Christmas customs and celebrations from around the country. But most importantly, the setting is the famous Chapultepec Castle, the historic fortress perched above the city. Enjoy panoramic views of Mexico City while you drink in the sheer diversity of Mexican traditions, centered around this one holiday.