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.

Pair of photos from Oaxaca, one showing a Day of the Dead parade and fireworks, and one showing a colorful doorway surrounded by flowers

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.

Pair of photos showing colorful Day of the Dead decorations in Mexico

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing a hill with clouds and blue sky, and one showing a grave with candles and flowers

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing a Day of the Dead mannequin, and one showing a cathedral

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing the interior of a church, and one showing a chef at his restaurant

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 a church in Mexico

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing a colorful dinner place setting, and one showing dancers in traditional costumes

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing a hotel guest room, and one showing colorfully dyed yarn hanging from hooks on a wall

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.

Two women making candles shaped like flowers at a workshop in Mexico

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.

Pair of photos from Mexico, one showing a textile designer, and one showing a sitting room in a private hacienda

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 altar in a private home in Mexico

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.