Muertos y Marigolds

It is a pleasantly warm Fall day in Albuquerque, New Mexico and mine is one of a long line of cars crawling on the bridge over the Rio Grande in the direction of Isleta Boulevard. The attraction today is the annual Dia de los Muertos parade known as Muertos y Marigolds. This is one of the local celebrations of the Mexican holiday called “Day of the Dead”. Some call it the Mexican version of the Catholic All Saints Day or All Souls Day. The general idea is that it is a day to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey.Albuquerque’s Muertos y Marigolds is a Sunday afternoon parade that closes many blocks of a major thoroughfare leading to a grassy, shady park where there is food, vendors, and community. Parade participants and a large percentage of the crowd that lines the parade route are painted up, masked, and otherwise decked out for the occasion. Marigolds, the traditional flower used to honor the dead are everywhere. It is a colorful and interesting slice of cultural heritage to be sure.

Sadly, the parade will not take place in 2019 — a victim of its own success. The organizers say the event became too large to manage. There is still a Dias de Los Muertos Celebration in Albuquerque at Fairview Memorial Park on Sunday, November 3, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 700 Yale Blvd. SE in Albuquerque. Appropriately, Fairview Memorial Park is a cemetery. The festival is part of a series of unusual events billed as the “Before I Die New Mexico Festival” throughout the week in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Espanola, and Taos – my favorite title is “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews” which is a panel discussion over beers with morticians at Tractor Brewery. Check out the full schedule of events at the link.

Following are some of my favorite images from the day … captions, when provided, precede the related picture(s) …

Parade entries include decked out cars & trucks, dance groups, floats, bicycle groups, and walkers …