Celebrating the Departed: Day of the Dead, in pictures
The Dia di Los Muertos has inspired photographers attempting to capture the macabre beauty of this atmospheric event.
By National Geographic Yourshot
Published 17 Oct 2019, 17:56 BST
A young boy is framed amidst Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City.
Photograph by Frederik Trovatten, National Geographic Your Shot
Parade participants take a break at the Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca, 2018.
Photograph by Nic Miles, National Geographic Your Shot
A woman in elaborate sugar skull makeup, Day of the Dead Festival, Oaxaca 2018. According to Your Shot photographer Diana Berrent, 'Sugar skull makeup is used as a tribute to a particular deceased loved one.'
Photograph by Diana Berrent, National Geographic Your Shot
A large group of colourfully painted people parade through Mexico city's historic centre on Day of the Dead.
Photograph by Gareth Davies, National Geographic Your Shot
Day of the Dead 'La Catrina' skeletons on display in a shop in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Photograph by Rudy Calpo, National Geographic Your Shot
A couple dance at a Day of the Dead rally in Oklahoma City, USA. Despite being Mexican in origin, it is widely celebrated in many communities across the Americas.
Photograph by Huzzatul Mursalin, National Geographic Your Shot
“I met this gentleman, at dawn in the historic cemetery of Atzompa, Oaxaca”, says National Geographic Your Shot photographer Gustavo Romero. “He has been awake all night spending time with his grandfather who passed away years ago. This is his annual tradition on Day of the Dead.”
Photograph by Gustavo Romero, National Geographic Your Shot
Calaveras Pintadas are decorative skulls made from clay. Your Shot photographer Sampath Menon “found these in an art bazaar in San Angel, Mexico City.”
“After waiting along the sidelines of the parade route for hours just to capture the perfect shot, I decided to jump into the mix myself,” says National Geographic Your Shot photographer Paul Durrant, who was watching the Day of the Dead parade in Tucson, Arizona. “Amongst the sea of facepaint and makeup I found this one man wearing an LED mask. I photographed him against the sunset - the perfect dichotomy of the oldest traditions and the newest technologies.”
Photograph by Paul Durrant, National Geographic Your Shot
A young musician from the city of Guanajuato plays his guitar, face painted in the style of a skull.
Photograph by Arturo Mauleón, National Geographic Your Shot
A woman prays in a cemetary in Puebla, south-east Mexico, during Day of the Dead. “Since pre-Hispanic times in Mexico, indigenous people have worshiped death and have conceived it as a duality of life, part of the cycle of nature,” says Your Shot photographer Wendy Aguilar. “When the conquerors arrived, the cult of death merged with the Catholic religion, giving rise to the tradition of Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2 each year.”
Photograph by Wendy Aguilar, National Geographic Your Shot
A reveller celebrates Day of the Dead dressed as a calaca, or skeleton.
Photograph by Jan Sochor
A lady dressed as La Calaveras Catrin and wearing a corn husk skirt outside the cathedral in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Photograph by Brian Overcast, Alamy
Dancers in traditional costumes perform in front of the Santo Domingo church in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Photograph by Richard Ellis, Alamy
Likenesses of author Gabriel García Márquez line an altar in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Photograph by Craig Lovell, Eagle Visions Photography, Alamy
Marigolds and family photos decorate a Day of the Dead altar in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Photograph by Corbis Documentary/Getty Images
A Mexican woman sits at at a gravesite covered in marigolds and other flowers during a Day of the Dead celebration in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico.
Photograph by Jan Sochor, Alamy