Oaxaca prepares for Dia de los Muertos -- Day of the Dead

Oaxaca's Day of the Dead celebration is a fascinating cultural experience. Oaxacans believe that the spirits of dead relatives come back for a visit each year at this time. To guide the fieles difuntos, faithful dead, back home and to ensure that they are content, Oaxacans build elaborate altars covered with marigolds and other orange flowers, and load them with the favorite food, drink, and possessions of the departed. Skulls, skeletons, and elaborately dressed figures of dead people appear everywhere. Here are a few seen on the streets today:

An elegant Catrina in yellow

Death overlooks a busy corner in Oaxaca

Another Catrina in pink and blue

Photos by Robert Adler. May be re-used with attribution per Creative Commons.