Here’s the final post of photographs and video from my recent trip to Guatemala for Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). My daughter and I visited the historic city of Antigua (photographs HERE) and attended the spectacular Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango (photos/video HERE). We also paid a visit to the cemetery in Sumpango where every year family members come with flowers, paint, machetes, gardening tools as well as food and drink to clean and adorn the gravesites (in-ground burial plots) and mausoleums of their deceased loved ones in preparation for Day of the Dead.
It’s a less somber and more festive affair than one would think and as we spoke to several locals at the cemetery who were painting and decorating the final resting spots of their loved ones, we realized how much it meant to these folks to remember those who have passed. These photographs were taken on Day of the Dead as well as All Hallows’ Eve (the day before) and the video was shot the day before.
Enjoy…
To view the photographs, head over to danperezphotography.com
Hope you enjoyed the video (and photographs). Guatemala is a warm and colorful place and the people are as friendly as you’ll ever meet. For more information on the Day of the Dead and the Giant Kite Festival in Sumpango, check out the facebook pages for Asociación Barriletes Hijos del Viento Guatemala and Festival de Sumpango. Oh, and put Guatemala’s Day of the Dead festival on your list of places to visit before you kick the bucket. You won’t be sorry…
