My grandmother lived to 103, but she never made it to Mexico.
Darling, howwonderful, I could almost hear her saying.
The organizers told me I could bring a picture of a deceased relative to honor at the festival.
From left: A Día de los Muertos parade on Calle Macedonio Alcalá, in Oaxaca, Mexico; a doorway in Oaxaca City adorned with marigolds, which are believed to attract the souls of the dead.Credit:Daniel Seung Lee
(A robust celebrity client list hasnt damaged its cachet, either.)
A tide of thousands flowed past.
In the parade we saw fireworks, drummers, and multiple brass bands.
From left: Día de los Muertos decorations on the streets of Oaxaca City; festival banners on a street in Teotitlán del Valle, a community of artisans outside Oaxaca.Daniel Seung Lee
There were men on stilts and women carrying three-foot floral arrangements in baskets on their heads.
Some wore riotous, rainbow-colored costumes; others were in black and white.
These events are when the culture is at its most emblematic, he explained.
From left: A view of the hills outside Oaxaca City; a grave in Xochimilco cemetery during Día de los Muertos.Daniel Seung Lee
As Prior put it, How do you make it feel real, but also magical?
As if in response, we heard music floating up from the courtyard.
Beyond it, a tide of thousands flowed past.
From left: A giant mannequin in a Día de los Muertos parade; Oaxaca City’s cathedral.Daniel Seung Lee
In the parade we saw fireworks, drummers, and multiple brass bands.
There were men on stilts and women carrying three-foot floral arrangements in baskets on their heads.
Some wore riotous, rainbow-colored costumes; others were in black and white.
From left: Visiting the Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, in Teotitlán del Valle; Chef Alejandro Ruiz of Portozuelo and Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante.Daniel Seung Lee
Overhead, pink and orange banners fluttered against an inky night sky.
It was joyful, and haunting, and completely unique to this place and time.
Dia de los Muertos had begun.
Fireworks over Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, as seen from Cobarde restaurant, in Oaxaca City.Daniel Seung Lee
After a quick tour of Teotitlans market and main square, he ushered us inside his familys red-roofed compound.
I asked Edgar if anyangelitoshad departed from this household.
Yes, he replied.
From left: Place settings for a private hacienda dinner; a troupe of chinas oaxaqueñas dancers greeting Prior guests outside Escondido Oaxaca.Daniel Seung Lee
Her little sister was lost.
I thought about my photo of Moyra which, unfortunately, Id left back at the hotel.
This, clearly, wasnt the one.
From left: Minimalist décor at the hotel Escondido Oaxaca; making natural dyes at Casa Don Taurino.Daniel Seung Lee
For generations, Edgar told us, his ancestors had been weavers.
By becoming a tour guide, he had been among the first to break away.
Natural dyes were being replaced with synthetic pigments, Mendoza told us.
A candle-making demonstration at Casa Viviana, in Teotitlán del Valle.Daniel Seung Lee
This tradition was getting lost.
When cooked and crushed, they release a rich scarlet dye.
At one point, he said, it was almost comparable to gold in value.
From left: Designer Angélica Torres Ospina, who dyes her clothing with organic pigments made at Casa Don Taurino; the hacienda setting for a private dinner arranged by the travel company Prior.Daniel Seung Lee
Bautista began crushing a handful ofcochinillawith a rolling pin, and gradually a patch of bright scarlet appeared.
Elsewhere in Teotitlan,artisans have taken their creations from the workshop to the world stage.
She has even been featured inVogue.
An ofrenda at Prior guide Edgar Mendoza’s family home in Teotitlán del Valle.Daniel Seung Lee
In reimagining theirvelasas fantastical sculptures, the women have acquired a reputation as the undisputed masters of the art.
Some credit Alavez for single-handedly keeping the tradition alive.
The result wasnt a complete embarrassment, but it couldnt compare with the pieces for sale at Casa Viviana.
But our most memorable meal was the one we cooked ourselves.
Everything starts at the market, Ruiz said.
Ive been shopping here since I was a child more than forty years.
At one kiosk, we inspected an array of dried chiles arranged in open sacks.
This one is smoky, with umami and mineral flavors, he said.
Instead, Edgar announced, wed go to Xochimilco, a smaller burial site in a residential neighborhood.
They told us they were there to honor Maria, the family matriarch.
Two of the womans young granddaughters, their faces painted like skulls, tended the candles.
We saw similar family groups at other graves.
Around some the atmosphere was festive; at others, perhaps more recently dug, the mood was subdued.
As we left the cemetery, I asked Edgar about his plans for the rest of the celebration.
Talking about his father with visitors brought up complicated emotions, he added.
He always wanted to be a tour guide, Edgar said.
It was almost time to leave Oaxaca, but I still hadnt found a suitableofrendafor my grandmothers picture.
She wasnt a beer drinker; red wine was more her thing.
Four-day Dia de los Muertos trips withPriorandCapital Onefrom $2,400 per person.
