MEXICO CITY (Azat TV) – Bright orange marigolds, glowing candles and faces painted like the elegant skeletons known as catrinas fill the streets of Mexico for the annual Day of the Dead celebrations, according to reporting published by the Boston Globe (reporting by the Associated Press). Festivities begin in October and lead up to Nov. 1 and 2, when families believe the souls of deceased loved ones temporarily return to earth to reunite with them.
While the ancient festival draws millions to marigold-strewn markets and candlelit cemeteries, the surge in international tourism has triggered local pushback. In several regions, communities are grappling with the friction between preserving sacred ancestral rituals and managing massive crowds of visitors.
Tradition Roots and Cinematic Parades
No single record establishes when the first observance took place, though historians trace its roots to agriculture-related beliefs from Mexico’s pre-Hispanic era. Following the Spanish conquest in 1521, Catholic traditions were woven into the indigenous practices. Today, families across the country decorate home altars with photos, treats, food and mezcal, before gathering at cemeteries on the night of Nov. 1 just as their ancestors did for centuries.
However, modern celebrations also incorporate manufactured spectacles. In Mexico City, many residents remain skeptical of the massive annual parade featuring floats decorated with catrinas—the iconic skeleton figures. Reported by NBC News, this elaborate procession was originally created for the 2015 James Bond film “Spectre” and later absorbed into official city programming, despite having no historical basis in traditional observances.
Overtourism Prompts Rare Cemetery Closure
The tension between commercialized tourism and cultural preservation reached a head in Janitzio, a small island on a lake in the central state of Michoacán. Celebrations on the island were recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, drawing intense global curiosity.
For the first time this year, local authorities closed the island’s pantheon to tourists. The decision followed an urgent report by the community council detailing the structural collapse of damaged tombs, ancient crosses and parts of the cemetery’s perimeter wall, caused directly by overwhelming foot traffic. Under the new restrictions, only local families and friends of those buried in the cemetery are permitted entry during the peak observances.