(Mexico City) Thousands of people, many in disguise, took part in the Day of the Dead parade in downtown Mexico on Sunday, a protest that was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the intense sun, Mexicans and foreign tourists were made up as skulls or terrifying figures, many wearing colorful costumes, adorned with flowers and macabre accessories.
“Last year I wanted to come, but it was canceled. Now we have seized the opportunity, ”said Yadira Altamirano, 38, a Mexican who has lived since her childhood in California, United States.
Dressed in a black dress with flower prints and make-up in “Catrina”, the cadaveric representation of a late 19th century Mexican high society lady, Altamirano is an enthusiastic participant in the Day of the Dead tradition.
“I am the only one in my family who still sets up her altar, her offering, and we still have dinner on November 2 at midnight,” she told AFP.
The parade started from the Zocalo, the main square of the capital, where the local Secretary of Tourism, Paola Félix, dedicated the event to medical staff on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic, as well as to those who died. of COVID-19.
Mexico, with 126 million inhabitants, is the fourth country hardest hit by the pandemic, with 288,276 deaths, including 39,851 in Mexico City.
The celebration of the Day of the Dead was possible since the vaccination process reached 83% of Mexican adults.
Mexico City’s famous Tolsa Square pays tribute this year to the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
A “memorial-offering” was inaugurated Friday at the initiative of the Mexican authorities in this square located in the historic center of the city.
To the colorful side of the traditional Day of the Dead altars with which Mexicans remember their deceased loved ones, with their brightly colored flowers, their small skeletons and their offerings, meets the tragic sobriety of the black wall with its hundreds of small white hearts in metal, flowers and photos.