The Cemetery is the Happening Place: Days of the Dead in San Juan Cosala

Here in this part of Mexico (San Juan Cosala, Jalisco) the Day of the Dead is chiefly celebrated at the cemetery, where everyone brings flowers, often artificial and often wrapped in plastic. The more durable flowers are left up till the next year. Food is frequent brought too, and consumed there. It's an event shared with the dead family members. On the first day, November 1, mostly people go who have children buried there. I would guess that might be more somber than it was on the 2nd, when pretty much everyone goes. These photos were taken by my husband Kelly just before dusk on the 2nd.

It's easy to find the way to the cemetery from the highway. Just look for people and snack bars:



And here are a couple more pictures from the event. Kelly is very comfortable taking photos at public events, and a Mexican friend had assured him that people wouldn't mind. As he walked back from the cemetery, another Mexican friend saw his camera and asked him if he was going to publish photos. He said yes, and she smiled.