One A Day – 255

Halloween Sweetshop
Halloween Sweetshop

  • Centro Histórico, Morelia, Michoacán, México
  • October 20, 2013
  • Copyright, all rights reserved

With yesterday’s post, I’m starting to bring you the results of another photo walk. As much as I might want to, I’m resisting releasing several at once. As with all series I do in this way, it takes a while to post process each piece and in some cases, I might see one look as the vision I want only to retract it later for a different approach. Some pieces take more time to “cook” than others.

We’re in the run up to the Día de Muertos here in Michoacan, which will peak on the evening of November 1st. Although it is often compared to Halloween, the cultural traditions at the base of the Day of the Dead are quite different. A combination of attempts by colonial religious authorities to co-op native religious traditions and commercialism have created an appearance of similarity on the surface, but underneath the native traditions is a profound respect for ancestors that survives, especially in this region of Mexico. If you are interested in this tradition, there are several good resources on line, but really – the best way to begin to experience it is to come and see for yourself. It takes some planning though – many hotels in the most popular areas are booked months in advance.