During the last week in October, tourists flock to Mexico to observe and photograph the "picturesque" practices of "quaint" indigenous Mexicans. (The historical roots of this celebration date back to the pre-Hispanic cultures.)

The idea of family reunions in cemeteries, with music, food and gaiety, strikes foreigners as rather strange. They look in disbelief at shops filled with skulls and calaveras (skeletons) made of various materials, dressed as doctors, judges, teachers, tennis players and even prostitutes. The ... (more)