With its different ways of celebrating and remembering the dead, Mexico is a colorful and surreal mosaic of different meanings, most of which find its origins in Pre-Columbian rites that dedicate time to bringing back the memories of those who are gone.Huaquechula, a town located in the state of Puebla, two and a half hours southeast of Mexico City, is known for building monumental altars during the feast of the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. Every year on October 28th, the town prepares to receive the souls of those who died violently or after an accident. On the last day of October, locals receive the souls of children who have passed, while the souls of people who died of natural causes are received on November 1st. On this day, at 2pm, the church bells ring to mark the meeting between spirits of dead believers and their living relatives. Finally, on November 2nd, families go to the cemetery before dawn to clean and decorate the graves of their relatives with flowers, candles, and incense.
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