Mexico’s Day of the Dead Celebrations Confront Overcrowding and Cultural Shifts

MEXICO CITY — Vibrant orange marigolds, flickering candles, and faces painted as the elegant skeletal icons called catrinas line Mexico’s streets each year for the Day of the Dead festivities.

The festivities start in October and culminate on November 1 and 2, when it is believed that the souls of departed relatives briefly return to earth to rejoin their families.

The exact origins of the observance remain unknown, but the tradition stems from pre‑Hispanic agricultural rites. After the Spanish conquest in 1521, Catholic customs were blended into the celebration.

Modern festivities feature large parades along Mexico City’s principal boulevard. The city’s streets, shops, and markets are adorned with orange Mexican marigolds—known as cempasúchil—believed to guide spirits back to the living world with their vivid hues. Bakeries display traditional pan de muerto, or “bread of the dead.”

Families set up home altars honoring their ancestors, offering food, sweets, and mezcal alongside photographs of the departed.

On the night of November 1, families gather at cemeteries nationwide to commune with their ancestors, continuing a practice handed down through generations.

However, as the celebration and Mexico City have attracted global attention—and states such as Oaxaca and Michoacán have seen rising visitor numbers—some areas are grappling with the pressures of overtourism.

In Mexico City, many residents view the yearly parade of catrina‑decorated floats with suspicion. The procession, originally created for the 2015 James Bond film “Spectre,” was later adopted into the city’s festivities, despite having no historic roots in the tradition.

In Janitzio—an island lake community in Michoacán where the Day of the Dead rituals were inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008—authorities barred tourists from the cemetery for the first time this year. The decision followed reports from the local council of collapsing tombs, crosses, and portions of the perimeter wall caused by the surge of visitors.

Entry was restricted to only the families and friends of those interred there.

Source link