On the evening of el dia de los muertos in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a young boy carries a candle from a neighboring grave to light a candle on a family grave nearby. El dia de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, has been celebrated throughout Mexico and parts of Central America since pre columbian times. Originally an Aztec celebration, the November 1 and 2 holiday has become infused with Catholic symbolism and faith. “Our relations with death are intimate”, Octavio Paz wrote in Labrynth of Solitude, “more intimate perhaps than those of any other people.” He further described the celebration as an escape from the difficulties of every day existence – not only the poverty, but also a kind of blackness in the soul which perhaps has its roots in the joining of two antagonistic groups, the Indian and the Spanish.
11 responses
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Parry Cadwallader gave props (13 Jun 2008):
Very nice shot! It's like the love of those alive trailing from one departed member to the next
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Marcus Way said (28 Jun 2008):
First I thought you were painting with light. The fact that the boy has created the trail makes this photograph even more extraordinary. Thanks for sharing.
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David Maziarz gave props (23 Jul 2008):
looks like a ghostly firecracker
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Christopher Long gave props (8 Aug 2008):
Amazing capture!
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Charidy Bunsa gave props (23 Aug 2008):
Got my vote!
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Mark Gilliland gave props (27 Aug 2008):
Awesome! gets my vote!
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Omar Renteria gave props (1 Sep 2008):
props for invoking Octavio Paz...very appropriate for the poetic tone of this excellent photo
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Justin said (5 Sep 2008):
Great shot, Skippy. Love the vitality; serves as such an alluring contrast to the implication of the celebration's roots.
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Sk Wier gave props (6 Sep 2008):
Oh My! This is an incredible shot! I love the colors and the lights. This is excellent for the theme and it has my vote!
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Sri Ram Murty B gave props (8 Sep 2008):
super shot!!!!got my vote
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Liz Van Den Berg gave props (17 Sep 2008):
linda!! el dia de los muertos is a perfect submission for this theme as well as your writting and its also a very cool photo tambien
