Marigolds spill through Albuquerque in bright bursts of orange and gold, threading their way through courtyards, storefronts and ofrendas. For Día de los Muertos, the city makes room for those who are gone.
Rooted in Mexican tradition, the Day of the Dead brings remembrance into public view. Ofrendas—altars assembled to welcome and honor loved ones who have died—gather photographs, candles, favorite foods and personal keepsakes. Each is a small, intimate portrait: a face, a familiar possession, something someone loved. Marigolds, known as cempasúchil, traditionally help guide the spirits home with their color and scent.
That intimacy opens into celebration in the parade, where painted calavera faces and elaborate costumes carry remembrance into the streets. From Old Town’s Marigold Mile to the South Valley’s Marigold Parade, flowers and faces give loss a vivid, communal presence.
These photographs follow that exchange between quiet remembrance and exuberant celebration—the details of an offering, the faces in the procession, the orange that seems to turn up everywhere. Across Albuquerque, memory takes shape in what people make, carry and leave for those they love.
Leave a Reply