Ah, New Mexico . . . another week, another festival!
Last weekend, it was Dia de los Muertos
y Marigolds in Albuquerque's South Valley neighborhood. A
Mexican holiday that originated hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of years ago,
it is traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2. But in Albuquerque, for convenience, it is
celebrated on an adjacent weekend with a parade and gathering at a neighborhood
community center, and it’s bigger than Halloween.
Virtually everyone has their face
painted to resemble a calavera (skull), and many are elaborate and beautiful, accented with traditional orange Mexican marigolds:
Costumes are also in order . . .
and there’s more than a smattering of
Goth in the crowd.
Thousands line the mile-long parade route . . .
The parade lasts for about an hour, and
consists of marchers and floats of every description. There are political statements . . .
Social issues . . .
Remembering dead writers . . .
And dead pets . . .
Antique cars (yikes, some of these are younger than I am!) . . .
And low riders . . .
Radio station vans . . .
Motorcycles . . .
And more . . .
The parade ends at the neighborhood
community center, where everyone gathers for food, music, and a traditional
blessing . . .
For larger versions of these images, and
more, you can visit my photography website, Todos
Juntos Photography, by clicking here.
