Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, November 1, 2007—Bursting with color, Day of the Dead—Día de los Muertos—events are anything but black celebrations in Guatemala, where cemetery visits are enlivened by bright kites constructed for the occasion.

The holiday has its roots in ancient, weeks-long Latin American celebrations of the dead, during which Olmec, Maya, and other cultures would display skulls as symbols of death and as a continuation of life. Centuries ago Catholic conquerors moved the celebration to coincide with All Saints' Day.

Across Latin America, but especially in Mexico, skulls continue to take center stage, though the real things have been replaced by replicas wrought in bread, candy, wood, and papier-mâché. (Related: "Mexico's Cemeteries Host Day of the Dead Parties" [November 2, 2005].)

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