The third death is when no-one remembers us any more

Mexicans seem obsessed with mortality and death; it permeates every part of their lives, whilst back home in Europe we try to obliterate any thought or mention of it, as though by doing so we will not have to face it ourselves. 

According to Mexican tradition we have three deaths: the first when our body ceases to function, the second when we are returned to the ground and the third when no-one remembers us any more. Maybe that is why  the keeping alive the of the memory of the dead is considered so vital.

Dia de Muertos is a really important time when the spirits of the dead are believed to come back to visit. Graves are cleaned and decorated with flowers and candles, baskets of bread, fruit, sugar skulls and objects which would have been important to the deceased. Some keep an all-night vigil by the grave, awaiting the return of the spirit. 

The rituals and beliefs surrounding these customs vary from region to region and village to town but a common thread is the remembrance of, and communication with, those who have gone before us. In many public buildings and communal places 'ofrendas' such as those on graves are constructed to a particular person or persons. 

Shop window ofrenda in Guanajuato.