New Day of the Dead photos from Oaxaca

El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is in full swing in Oaxaca. Here are a few glimpses of this modern festival with ancient roots. It's essence, welcoming, nurturing and communing with the faithful dead on their once-a-year return:

 Muertos ready for the fiesta

 A woman selects flowers for her altar

A Catrina dressed to kill

 Pan de Muertos--Bread for Day of the Dead

 An altar at the childhood home of Lila Downs

Detail of the altar

Flower vendor's baby at Sanchez Pascua market

Day of the Dead, Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, 2012

Oaxaca's neighbor city, Xoxocotlan, is famous for its celebration of Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Usually its old and new cemeteries are glowing with candles, the graves covered with flowers and surrounded by the families of departed souls who are expected to return for a visit at this time. The celebration tonight, October 31, 2012, was dampened by an unseasonable rain. When we saw the cemeteries, there were relatively few flower-decked, candlelit graves, although some families were starting to arrive for the night. However, we were able to catch a few colorful moments--

A young boy stands guard at a family grave

A very young Catrina

A Catrina in a sand painting

Death playing his magic flute

A giant figure of Death, dancing in the street

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.