Photos: Preparing for the Day of the Dead

Two children with their faces painted pose for pictures in a field of flowers, beside a large skeleton statue.

Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty

Children with their faces painted pose in a field of cempasuchil (marigold) flowers during preparations for the Day of the Dead celebration at Rancho San Juan Diego, in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco, Mexico, on October 24, 2026. On November 2, Mexico will celebrate the Day of the Dead to pay tribute to deceased family members and friends.

A person drives a three wheeled motorcycle with a traditionally-decorated skeleton statue riding on the back.

Gerardo Vieyra / NurPhoto / Getty

A skeleton sculpture, decorated for Día de Muertos, rides on a three-wheeled motorcycle in the southern part of Mexico City, Mexico, on October 25, 2026.

A person poses, wearing skeletal makeup, costume, and a large floral headdress.

Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty

An attendee poses at the 2026 Día de Muertos Gala held at the Universal Studios Backlot Old Pueblo Village in Los Angeles, California, on October 27, 2026.

People in colorful skeletal costumes march in a parade.

Francisco Canedo / Xinhua / Getty

Revelers take part in the Catrinas Parade in Mexico City on October 25, 2026.

A woman dressed as a Catrina takes part in a parade.

Carl de Souza / AFP / Getty

A woman dressed as a Catrina takes part in the Catrinas Parade, ahead of the Day of the Dead, in Mexico City, on October 25, 2026.

A child holds a skull-shaped ice cream treat.

Francisco Canedo / Xinhua / Getty

A child holds a Catrina-shaped ice cream in Mexico City on October 17, 2026.

Flowers in a field, with a cloud-covered volcano in the distance

Alfredo Martinez / Getty

A view of a cempasuchil field on the slopes of the Popocatépetl volcano, seen on October 26, 2026, in Atlixco, Mexico

A couple wearing skeletal makeup poses in a field of orange flowers.

Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty

A couple poses in a field of cempasuchil flowers ahead of Día de Muertos celebrations at Rancho San Juan Diego, in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Mexico, on October 24, 2026.

People in costumes and skeletal makeup dance in a parade.

Daniel Cardenas / Anadolu / Getty

People in costume participate in the annual Catrina parade in Mexico City on October 25, 2026. Thousands of costumed participants paraded from the Angel of Independence to Zócalo Square during the 2026 Mega Procession of Catrinas.

A crowd stands alongside several large skull sculptures, watching a passing parade.

Daniel Cardenas / Anadolu / Getty

Spectators watch the annual Catrina parade pass by in Mexico City on October 25, 2026.

A close view of a person wearing an ornate skull mask with floral headdress

Francisco Canedo / Xinhua / Getty

A reveler takes part in Mexico City’s Catrinas Parade on October 25, 2026.

A crowd gathers around a very tall statue of a skeleton in a town square in Mexico City.

Claudia Rosel / AP

A giant Catrina stands on an altar in Zócalo Square, in Mexico City, on October 31, 2025.

A man lights one of many candles burning on a grave, with many other candles on graves visible below on a hillside cemetery.

Jorge Luis Plata / Reuters

A man lights candles during the annual Day of the Dead celebrations, in Mazatlan Villa de Flores, Mexico, on November 2, 2024.

A person wearing traditional Catrina makeup looks down at a candle they are carrying during a Day of the Dead procession.

Dolores Ochoa / AP

People take part in a Day of the Dead procession in Quito, Ecuador, on November 1, 2025.

Many people gather in a cemetery, among hundreds of lit candles, on the Day of the Dead.

Eduardo Verdugo / AP

Families gather to keep company with their departed loved ones, celebrating the Day of the Dead at the cemetery in Arócutin, Mexico, on November 1, 2025.

A woman leans down next to the grave of a loved one, surrounded by flowers and candles.

Eduardo Verdugo / AP

A woman sits next to the grave of a loved one, celebrating the Day of the Dead at the cemetery of Tzintzuntzan, Mexico, on October 31, 2025.