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José Porfirio Martínez Castro and his wife Nery Urioles Nájera were ordering the grave of their family in the Morelia municipal cemetery. They built a small altar for two of José’s brothers and adorned it with marigolds, sugar skulls, and small bottles of Coca-Cola, their sister’s favorite drink.
Normally, they would spend the night of November 1 here, lighting candles and remembering their loved ones. But this year the cemetery will be closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, so they made their visit a few days before.
“I never imagined doing this,” Martinez said, from the shaded portico of the tomb. “Everything has changed in 2020.”
Oceans of marigolds still grace Mexican boulevards, sugary dead bread It is still for sale and images of skeletons decorate everything from shop windows to billboards.
But the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the Day of the Dead plans. The effusive celebrations of recent years, parades inspired by the James Bond film Specter and “mega” altars in city squares, have been canceled or virtualized.
Cemeteries across the country were ordered closed, forcing many families to celebrate the occasion at home.
The death toll from coronavirus in Mexico is around 90,000, but authorities admit that the true figure could well be at least 50,000 more.
The pandemic has destroyed thousands of Mexican families, but it has also disrupted many of the country’s traditional ceremonies to commemorate the dead: churches have been closed; wakes canceled; and communities that cannot meet for the novenas, prayers offered for nine consecutive days.
Families who have lost loved ones in the pandemic have also suffered social stigma in a country where conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and its transmission have been swirling.
“They say it was diabetes, or they died of a heart attack … or it was kidney problems,” said Father Raúl Vázquez, a Jesuit priest, describing how the relatives of the Covid victims refer to the cause of death. “They are afraid of being rejected by their neighbors.”
The inability to properly commemorate loved ones has left many Mexicans still seeking closure.
“Death has a festive side in Mexico. But there is also a very human side to deep pain. And the pain of death during the pandemic has not had a place to express itself, ”said Abraham Villavicencio, curator of a gallery in Mexico City who studies Day of the Dead.
As in other countries, coronavirus victims are often cremated rather than buried. Cemeteries have limited access, preventing large family funerals and the mariachi bands that traditionally accompany them.
When Sandra Águila’s husband, Raúl, died of Covid-19 in June, he received a box of ashes from the funeral home and saw through Facebook how a priest offered prayers for the multiple victims of the pandemic.
“It was very cold, very devastating,” Aguila recalled, at his home in the Xochimilco neighborhood of Mexico City.
She still planned to build an altar Sunday night, but she will keep it small and adorned with simple items: fruits, chocolate skulls with her husband’s name, and pumpkin in candy – Traditional pumpkin dish cooked in syrup.
“Money is pretty tight,” said Águila, a teacher. “This festival was always so beautiful, but it will be pretty quiet this year.”
The community of Águila de San Gregorio Atlapulco is famous for its marigolds, which have been cultivated on artificial islands known as chinampas since pre-Columbian times. They are normally harvested in time for the Day of the Dead, but this season sales have slumped, leaving greenhouses full of rotting flowers.
“We used to sell everything, and prices would go up as the Day of the Dead approached,” said flower grower Roberto de los Santos, who estimated his sales would drop 60% this year.
In recent years, the Day of the Dead has become big business in some parts of Mexico. Michoacán, a state west of Mexico City, attracted thousands of tourists to places like Janitzio Island where the Purépecha Indians celebrate rituals with boats filled with flowers and candles.
cempasuchil (calendula) blooms before the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City. Photograph: Press South Agency / Getty Images
“We broke records in 2019,” boasted Roberto Monroy, Secretary of Tourism for Morelia, the state capital. “We also broke records in 2020, just the wrong records,” he added.
Some 55,000 visited the city’s municipal cemetery last Day of the Dead. This year, the cemetery was closed on October 30.
Beforehand, long lines formed outside as people armed with buckets and brooms and clutching bouquets of marigolds waited to decorate the graves of their relatives. Only two people per family were allowed in; Children, musicians and fresh food for offerings were prohibited.
“It’s a bit sad, like all this year,” said Karla Tejada, a jewelry seller, as she placed marigold petals on the grave of two uncles, along with a bottle of Coke and Victoria beer.
“It will be different, but we will celebrate it at home,” he said.
