a headstone made of seashells

In 2003 the Day of the Dead was declared a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage by U.N.E.S.C.O. and every year the Xcaret Park near Cancun, Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead with a 5 day event known as the ” Festival de Tradiciones de Vida y Muerta”. During this celebration visitors can enjoy traditional cuisine of the region, workshops, handcrafts, visual art exhibtions, music, dances,  rituals, altars, and offerings. One of the highlights of this event is the tour of their cemetery which is both a tribute to the deeply rooted attitudes of mexicans towards death and a replica of cemeteries found throughout Mexico. This cemetery is located inside the maya village on a hill with winding spiral paths that lead to the top.The path is lined with unique and imaginative headstones, plaques and ornamental structures that display  a variety of spiritually oriented designs and attitudes about the dead.The photo gallery below is a sample of what to expect in the cemetery and in other locations around the park during this event.

the festival logo and display near the entrance

traditional yucatan altar and offerings

traditional maya dress and mask

day of the dead altar and offerings

a stone carved headstone with religious oriented design elements

a surreal headstone with spiritual design elements

a tiled headstone with religious design elementstwin towers, bells and crosses

a stone carved headstone with cross and a sculted religious figureeligous scuplture

stone carved headstone designed like a temple to and decorated with flowers in the shape of a cross

tiled headstone with a spiriual motif

a tiled headstone with other religious design elements

headstone with a religious theme and statue of the virgin de guadalupe

a religious theme for a headstone made with beer bottle caps and quart of corona beer

stone carved headstone with a spiritual theme