1. Dia de los muertos Day of the dead 2 de noviembre

2. Dia de los muertos, «DEE ah deh lohs MWEHR tohs», Dia de los muertos, is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead. The holiday is celebrated in many Mexican American communities.

3. É ste es el país de México El día de los muertos se celebra en México

4. Dia de los muertos is Spanish for day of the dead. During this celebration, families gather in churches, at cemeteries, and in homes to pray for and remember their deceased loved ones.

5. A time of remembrance A time of remembrance Dia de los muertos is usually celebrated on November 2, the Roman Catholic feast of All Souls' Day. In some communities, the dead are remembered over several days, including November 1, All Saints' Day. The celebration combines ancient native beliefs and Catholic traditions.

6. La ofrenda El pan de muertos El cementerio La familia El altar Los dulces skeletons, or calacas. Velas y flores

7. La ofrenda Many families prepare an elaborate altar, known as an ofrenda (offering), in their homes and in cemeteries for the holiday The ofrendas are decorated with flowers, fruits, popular foods, sweets, and drinks. They are created to welcome back, for a day, the souls of departed family members and friends.

8. El pan de muerto (bread of the dead) Special candies and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a sweet bread, are popular treats served in the shape of skulls, skeletons, and other symbols of death.

9. Death is a part of life Death is a part of life The day of the dead reinforces the ancient belief that death is a part of life. It is an important tradition through which families pass on their oral histories. Recalling stories of past family members helps keep these ancestors alive for future generations. Death is seen as another stage following life, not something to be faced with fear.

10. La Familia In this photograph, a family in Patzcuaro, Mexico, decorates the graves of deceased family members with flowers.

11. La fiesta The occasion is festive, rather than morbid. Death isn't seen as the end of one's life, but as a natural part of the life cycle; the memory of the departed continue to exist in the minds and hearts of the living. Their lives are celebrated each year during this festival. Los mariachis (band) play Mexican songs

12. The cemetery The gravesite is cleaned and nicely decorated with flowers in preparation for this holiday. The cemetery is not a spooky place for many families in Mexico during this holiday. Rather, it is a place to gather and celebrate with candles, songs & stories as the deceased relatives are remembered.

13. Adios y hasta luego La bandera de México