Xoloitzcuintle

As seen in 007: Spectre and COCO, every year on Nov. 2 we celebrate the Day of the Dead.

This is a pre-Hispanic celebration born from the culture of the Mexicas, better known as the Aztecs. They believed in life after death and that all human beings at death would go to the same place, “Mictlan,” for eternal rest, but before that, everyone had to cross nine “hells” or challenges, helped by a dog, Xoloitzcuintle, that would determine if their soul was worthy.

Cempasúchil Dress

Once in Mictlan, the souls of the dead who managed to cross had an opportunity every year to return to their loved ones on Nov. 2. Families who want to be visited by their beloved deceased put an altar that includes a photo of the deceased, their favorite food, maybe some belongings and the cempasuchil flower. The latter, created by the god of the sun to venerate true love between mortals after death, will help the deceased recognize their way back home.

This is a beautiful tradition that has grown over the years on an international level, so much so that an international Day of the Dead parade is held in Mexico City to appreciate the beauty of our culture and serve as a friendly reminder that life after death is a party and not to forget those who left. It is a beautiful way for us to think that our loved ones will return home and give us love again once a year, and the rest of the time they will be partying in the land of the dead.

Mazatlán queen

Aztec serpent

Fun Fact: UNESCO recognizes this Mexican holiday as an invaluable heritage of humanity.

This year I was able to assist as press to the Day of the Dead parade thanks to the Fondo Mixto of Mexico City. It honestly exceeded my expectations in every way — the floats, the costumes, the music, giant puppets, the colors and the energy transmitted by the more than 1,000 parading volunteers.

Maracas

Tuft

Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. the parade started at the main square, Zocalo, the heart of Mexico City. It was supposed to be a sunny day, but here you can’t trust the weather forecast or the seasons, so everybody was prepared for basically everything. There were even people in the parade with trashcans full of raincoats for the volunteers, and all the spectators had umbrellas ready. And thank God, because around 5 p.m. it started to rain pretty hard. For one moment I thought they were going to cancel or that people would start leaving — none of that happened.

Mictlantecuhtli car

Mictlantecuhtli car

I got to witness one of the biggest parties of the year. All the volunteers kept dancing, cheering, smiling at a level I couldn’t believe, and the audience was even happier, cheering, shouting, clapping. I was overwhelmed; the amount of energy and good vibes made it impossible to leave there in a bad mood.

This is definitely something I want to witness every year and is something you need to witness yourself. As a Mexican who has grown up in this culture, every year I fall deeper in love with it. Let me tell you that when you experience it yourself, you’re going to fall in love, too.

— Mariana Zenizo, account executive

Drinker

Catrina

Xoloitzcuintle mobil

Dancer

Dancer

International

Bride and groom

Monarch butterflies