Happy Day of the Dead

 Day of the Dead - 2016

The following pictures were actually taken yesterday, the day before the Day of the Dead, while I was wandering around downtown Mexico City.

What better place to visit for the Day of the Dead than a cemetery?  I went to the Panteón de  San Fernando in downtown Mexico City.  So many famous people from Mexican history are buried here that this cemetery has been declared a museum.

A trail of marigold petals leads visitors (as well as the spirits of the dead) to the gate of the cemetery.  A friendly "calaca" (skeleton) is there to welcome you.

 
All of the pathways and tombs in the cemetery are decorated with potted marigold plants.  Here is the tomb of Mexico's most beloved President, Benito Juárez.

More skeleton figures within the cemetery.  As I have said, the Mexicans have a unique attitude toward death.  Can you imagine any cemetery in the United States putting up decorations such as this?

After leaving the cemetery, I walked down the street and took a look inside the Church of San Hipólito.  The altar was covered in a profusion of flowers.

As I walked down Hidalgo Avenue a man at a doorway was welcoming visitors to a free  exhibition.  Inside was a collection of "calacas" done by a Mexican folk artist.  Many of the skeletons represented Mexican celebrities from the past, such as singers Pedro Infante and Lola Beltrán and actress Dolores Del Río.

 
In front of the Palace of Fine Arts, people were completing a huge "carpet" made of flowers and colored sawdust.

The streets downtown were extremely crowded.  Many children and adults were dressed in costumes or had their faces painted.

Even some of the organ grinders along the city streets got into the spirit.

 

¡Feliz Día de Muertos!