Day of the dead comes to life in South Valley

Posted on by cnmchronicle

By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photos by Jonathan Baca

African dancing in the south valley.
African dancing in the south valley.
Beautiful, handpainted makeup.
Beautiful, handpainted makeup.
A huge skeleton with a first class seat.
A huge skeleton with a first class seat.
The Lost Tribes of Mardi Gras have been preforming at Marigold for 13 years.
The Lost Tribes of Mardi Gras have been preforming at Marigold for 13 years.
A dainty skeleton waves at the crowd.
A dainty skeleton waves at the crowd.
Handmade figures on a float.
Handmade figures on a float.
Lupe Garza rocks his giant skill mask. “It’s healthy celebration of life and death. Its one and the same.”
Lupe Garza rocks his giant skill mask. “It’s healthy celebration of life and death. Its one and the same.”
An elaborate mask and headdress.
An elaborate mask and headdress.
A crew on stilts, high above the crowds.
A crew on stilts, high above the crowds.

Dia de los Muertos is a big deal in the Land of Enchantment, and for the last 21 years in the Duke City, hundreds of people don their best skeleton face makeup and celebrate the delicate balance of life and death at the South Valley’s Marigold Parade.
This year, spectators lined a stretch of Isleta Boulevard and watched as dozens of floats and classic cars decorated with colorful flowers and political statements rolled by, and parade members threw candy into the crowd.
The parade ended at the Westside Community Center at 1250 Isleta Blvd. SW, where musicians, vendors, and food trucks waited for the painted crowds.
The Chronicle was on hand to document this year’s spectacle.

Published by cnmchronicle

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