Photo ABCs

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

After this year's parade of calaveras in Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The mural in the background shows guapango dancers, a traditional dance performed in Xilitla's town plaza each Sunday.

 

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

 

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

Day of the Dead, 2018, Xilitla.

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

A girl participates in the somber and spooky parade of calaveras in Xilitla, Mexico, illuminated only by candlelight.

Day of the Dead (Xantolo), Xilitla, Mexico

After the parade of calaveras in Xilitla, Mexico.

Day of the Dead: Xilitla, Mexico

Xilitla is a small town in the Sierra Gorda mountains of Mexico, in the state of San Luis Potosí.

They celebrate Day of the Dead, though they also call it Xantolo, which means, more or less, All Saints Day, in the local language.

There are two parades, one on the evening of October 31, which is a rather raucous affair, and another on November 1, which is a somber, spooky parade of calaveras (skeletons) performed in darkness, illuminated by candles.

Here is a calavera on horseback, before the parade of calaveras. (tap or click to enlarge)