Day of the Dead in Mexico
This the time of year for friends and family to honor the soul's of the departed. Here is a little information about this event.

November the first is All Saints Day and November second is All Soul's Day. The 1st of November is when the soul's return as little angels. These are the little children and unmarried folks and they start the return on the eve of the 31st of October. At midnight on November 1st the little angles stop coming and it's time for the elders to come. The families have alters prepared with items the past loved one enjoyed.These could be at the homes of the families or at the cemetery. They also bring food and drink to share plus there is music played. The process for the family and friends is called the "wait" when they are joined together at the home or cemetery. The food is believed to contain the essence of the soul departed. There is more to the story but this will give you an idea of what this is all about. They also make carpets out of saw dust with pictures  of various things and are very well done. These folks are real artisans in a number of ways.

It has a feeling of celebration but still has a solum air about it. There are many flower stalls and food stalls on the way to the cemetery and boy's are there to carry water for the plants purchased. Not sure what the cost's are for the water boy's or what they had to pay the fellows playing the music I would say not much compared to what it would cost in other country's

Life goes on as it has for decades in this country. The new along with the old way of doing things.
I just came back from a trip to the south part of the country. The state of Michoacan and the city is Patzcuaro and famous for two main holidays in this county. People come to visit on Easter and Day of the Dead. The city is located near a large lake and volcanoes. Around the lake is small villages and each one is noted for a different craft. There are pyramids in one town by the name of Tzintzuntzan. Try and say that 10 times in a row. They are still working on the pyramid and finding more and more pieces as they dig. Transportation was on  a local bus out to Tzintzuntzan from Patzcuraro and the driver was so happy you would have thought he had not seen an American in his life.

Saturday was the day villagers came from all over and was setting up their ware's. Pots as big as stove's and  beautiful handcrafts. Some take months or more to make. They are truly amazing artisans