I spent Dia de Muertos 2021 in Oaxaca. dissecting Mexico; from the zocalo in Oaxaca City Centro to the remote cemetery at Teotitlan del Valle, decorated by families to welcome back the dead. Even masked against Covid, Mexico preserved its vivid culture, vitality and spirit, portrayed with a flourish by dancers of the Guelaguetza and on display among marigold shoppers in Mitla’s thriving street market.

On the eve of Dia de Muertos, Oaxaca City’s Calle Alcala was a dream scape, a magic theater full of beings weird and wonderful.