Which Aztec festival closest to Day of the Dead honored Mixcóatl?

The Aztec festival closest to Day of the Dead that honored Mixcóatl was Quecholli. It was the fourteenth veintena, or 20-day period, of the Aztec solar calendar and was dedicated principally to Mixcóatl, a deity associated with hunting.

Quecholli was linked to the “precious feather” and to seasonal hunting activities. Ritual observances included hunts, weapon-making, and ceremonies involving captives and slaves. Calendar reconstructions place Quecholli around November 1–20, putting it directly beside the modern November 1–2 observance of Day of the Dead.

This connection does not mean that Day of the Dead is simply an unchanged Aztec festival. Its modern form developed through a mixture of Indigenous traditions and Catholic observances, especially All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day introduced under Spanish colonial rule.

A frequent mix-up is confusing Mixcóatl with Mictēcacihuātl, the Aztec female underworld figure often linked in popular accounts with the holiday’s Indigenous background. The question asks specifically about the festival honoring Mixcóatl, making Quecholli the distinct answer.