Wow! How to talk about “Día de Muertos” in Mexico if it has so many incredible aspects to share?
And also how to do it if I can never be brief?.. 
One more time I’ll try it and we’ll see what comes out of this. 
Día de Muertos is a deeply rooted celebration in Mexico because its origin comes, like many aspects of Mexican traditions and idiosyncrasies, from the moment of the Conquest of the indigenous peoples by the Spanish, and the syncretism that originated when two cultures so different at that historical moment collides
Many may think that the origin of this celebration is in the pre-Hispanic world in the center of present-day Mexico, but in reality it is a mixture of some indigenous rites and Catholic traditions that the Spanish brought to these lands and that they imposed on the original inhabitants. This celebration has been modified over the centuries and is constantly nourished by local traditions in each region and evolves from the resources that the inhabitants have at their disposal like many of the traditions in today’s world. Strangely, or perhaps not, in the last decade it has been boosted by global blockbusters like Pixar’s Coco and James Bond’s Spectre.
Until the beginning of the 16th century, most of the Nahua peoples of central Mexico had celebrations for the dead on different dates of the year, but these rites were assimilated into the Spanish Catholic tradition of November 1st and 2nd, dedicated to All Saints. and to the Faithful Departed.
Currently, the Mexican celebration of Dia de Muertos in general, goes beyond a religious rite and has become a symbol of Mexican identity, with particular variations in each region of Mexico, and that is replicated anywhere in the world where there are Mexicans or inhabitants with ancestors of Mexican origin. From my point of view, all these celebrations with their variations are valid and it is understandable that they will continue to change over time. Additionally, this celebration has, since 2008, the category of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since “it performs a social function that recalls the place of the individual within the group and contributes to the affirmation of identity”.
With this introduction I want to share with you some aspects of the current Dia de Muertos celebration at different levels: one, more personal within families, and the other much more general within the social sphere.
The celebration of Mexican families
The most intimate side of Dia de Muertos celebrations within Mexican families has as its main element remembering our loved ones who have already passed away. In general, Mexican families extend beyond parents and children, since a family is made up of grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles and aunts, cousins, and even great-great-grandparents who become close family nuclei in most cases. The older members of the families enjoy a lot of respect and when one of them dies the pain is shared by all.
For this reason, on Dia de Muertos, families place altars in some part of the house that is formed with various elements that have special meanings: a cross, candles, cempasuchil flowers, chopped paper, incense, candy skulls, scratched pumpkin, pan de muerto, but especially photographs of deceased people who are remembered, and dishes with their favorite food and drinks.
Each one of these elements in the altars has a meaning and a special function, but in particular the food and drink are placed because there is an idea that the souls of our loved ones visit the altar during these celebrations to accompany us and for that reason their favorite foods are placed to thank them for their visit. Another widespread idea is that these foods lose their flavor because the souls that visit the offering take it with them.
These altars are always full of color and creativity makes them special. You will never find an altar the same as another. They are built and assembled with a lot of love and affection for all the relatives who participate in them. I want to share with all of you that this year we had to add a new photograph to the altar of my family: that of Antonio, my paternal grandfather who passed away at the end of november of last year.
Two years ago, together with all the #TeamTacos local guides, we held a virtual meetup where we shared many aspects of these celebrations with our friends from Latin America (here you can find the album of that meetup) and I remember the monumental altar that @Bere_Marichi and her family set up that year, full of color and small details that occupied almost half of a room. I am sure that this year Bere has a special post about these celebrations that she will share with us. So stay tuned for her posts.
Celebrations in the community
Another tradition that is very widespread among Mexicans during November 1st and 2nd is the visit to cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of their relatives, especially in the small towns and cities of the states of Michoacán, Guanajuato and Oaxaca this activity is very popular. In those places of Mexico in particular, the celebrations are lived with great intensity as the cemeteries are filled with visitors and the tombs are flooded with color and decorations. Additionally, many families bring food and drinks that they share while they are there and pray for their loved ones. The night is even spent in the cemetery itself while the tombs are filled with candles, that fill those spaces with very special lighting, and with the petals of the cempasuchil flower, which is an orange flower with an intense scent that is special for this season of the year.
These all-night visits are widespread in places like Mixquic, which is south of Mexico City, on Janitzio Island in the middle of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, and in the cities of Oaxaca and Guanajuato. Precisely these traditions are part of what is shown in the Pixar film Coco, which in general terms closely reflects the interaction and traditions of Mexican families.
It should be noted that all these celebrations are full of joy, it´s not sad or gloomy in any sense, because we celebrate to people who are very dear to us and whom we remember. That is what makes them different from what happens in celebrations in other parts of the world and other cultures.
Cultural and social celebrations
Dia de Muertos celebration permeates society at all levels, even beyond the religious aspect, and cities throughout the country organize many cultural activities related to these festivities.
It is very common for artistic, musical and exhibitions related to the Dia de Muertos to be held in different public spaces. Government organizations, universities, cultural institutes and private companies program many activities on these dates and there is a wide cultural offer in this regard.
Something of the most common is that offerings or monumental altars are carried out in different public spaces: in Mexico City these types of altars are made in the Zócalo of the city, in the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in all the museums and public buildings. These monumental offerings are visited by the inhabitants of the city and tourists as they are full of creativity and color.
Since the release of the movie Specter of the James Bond saga in which a massive Dia de Muertos parade can be seen in the opening scenes in the center of Mexico City, these celebrations had a worldwide spread. But it is very funny to know that those kinds of parades were not part of the Mexican celebrations. That type of parade simply never existed in Mexico…until then, obviously.
After that movie was released the city government created a parade through Paseo de la Reforma avenue, the most beautiful and important avenue in the city, and now every year several parades are held during the weekend closest to the celebrations and also during November 1st and 2nd. So now we can see a great celebration during that parade of allegorical cars and monumental catrinas, along with many volunteers who make up their faces like skulls and the spectators along the route also wear costumes and make-up on their faces.
This year the administration of the Bosque de Chapultepec also organized a special exhibition called “Illuminating Souls” that was free and open to the public at the main entrance of this park, formed by a series of handcrafted sculptures with the theme of Dia de Muertos, along four nights, in which there were also live shows that all visitors could enjoy.
These are just some examples of the diversity of activities that are carried out in Mexico during these dates to celebrate Dia de Muertos, but I am sure that Bere Marichi in Mexico City, @Chuytorres-alc and @luis_rich in Guadalajara, and many other Mexican local guides have a lot of material to share about these celebrations in different places of our beloved Mexico and extend the invitation to make your publications to share them with the rest of our friends around the world.
Finally, I want to leave some links to other publications by @LaloPadilla where he explains in great detail other aspects of our celebrations. I know all of you will love reading them if you haven’t already.
