This is my very favorite shot from El Dia De Los Muertos in Oaxaca, Mexico. This is one of the many altars at home and business where the dead are remembered with offerings and flowers. It is an extraordinary blending of my Catholic roots with preColumbian Aztec rites of the afterworld that are not only beautiful, they help us remember our ancestors and mourn the dead. It spans October 31 to Novemer 2 over the feast days known as All Saints and All Souls, which were once called All Hallows in the Old World. It is believed that on these nights the veil between the living and the dead is temporarily drawn aside so that all may come together again for a brief interlude. The traditions have spread across the American Southwest as Mexican immigrants brought their traditions to El Norte.
More on the marigolds of this Mexican tradition at Chicago Sun Times online: