Capturing Día de Muertos (2025)
A celebration of life and death—not Mexico's version of Halloween
It would’ve been a sin to keep my camera stored away during one of my favorite celebrations: Día de Muertos, or in English, Day of the Dead. So, even though I’m a bit late, I went out to capture some scenes that represent this important holiday for us Mexicans.
Before we get to the fun part (the photos), I need to clarify something. Many people think Day of the Dead is the Mexican version of Halloween. They couldn’t be more different.
Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. Families build altars decorated with marigolds, candles, photos, and the favorite food and drinks of those who passed. It is a celebration where life and death meet. The belief is that spirits come back to visit during these days, and we welcome them with open arms.
It is vibrant, colorful, and full of love. Far from somber.
I feel like Halloween focuses on fear and jump scares. Day of the Dead is different. There are no monsters here. Just skeletons dancing, sugar skulls smiling, and families gathering to remember. While Halloween commercializes spookiness, Day of the Dead holds real meaning for us. It transforms death into something beautiful rather than terrifying.
I’m not saying ours is better. I’m just stating that both holidays are different. I’m not against Halloween. I just wish people understood they’re completely different celebrations.
One thing that saddens me is seeing little kids and their parents doing trick-or-treat in Mexico. Some people think I’m exaggerating, but this is exactly how traditions disappear.
Now, the pictures. I’ve tried to segment them into galleries as best as I could. I’ve added “spooky” captions to get you in the mood, haha. Enjoy!
This is Día de Muertos
Skulls everywhere
Zombies roaming
Death is watching you
Giant Catrinas roaming the city
What’s next?
For next year, if life allows it, I’ll go deeper to capture the essence of Day of the Dead. There’s so much more beyond the skulls and altars. This year I got a bit lazy (real life has been super busy), but at least I captured some of it. I like how those turned out.
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This is beautiful Rick! I was hoping to see some coverage on Dia de los muertos from you! Thank you 🙏🏽
Rick just found this post, but the timing could not be more perfect. In the USA, we fear death, and I believe many of us do our best not to think about dying. I've been listening to Ram Dass, who spent a lot of time discussing death and his beliefs about what happens when we die. To hear him speak about it makes it sound like a wonderful adventure and far from the end of existence. Dia de Muertos sounds like a celebration of those who live in a different dimension and who are able to come visit. Someday, I'm coming to Mexico City and staying for this wonderful-sounding tradition.