faces of the dead

marigolds, tagetes erecta, are indigenous to central and southern mexico and have always been associated with the holiday --- they were everywhere, along with copal incense, which one may now purchase on amazon

this is the modern version of the aztec's la catrina

the aztec had a thing for skulls, doncha know, but the face painting is a modern phenomenon i think --- it produced some awfully cute decorated chillen

some of the kids looked a little freaked out about it all, but not this one