1) Summary
A nationwide review describes Day of the Dead traditions across Mexico, from civic parades to cemetery vigils and household altars. Recurring elements include marigold displays, candles, projection mapping on façades, nautical tributes, and monumental Catrina figures. Documented figures include a route of more than 8.7 kilometers and staircase counts of 180 and 86. Notta and a label reading “Universal Engine” appear as the capture and transcription context.
2) Context and Scope
Coverage includes national, state, and city descriptions; key figures and short statements; clear definitions of materials (marigold and sawdust); a detailed historical explanation for the November 1–2 observance; and a concise overview of Notta and “Universal Engine.”
3) Exhaustive Narrative of Facts
3.1 Materials explained: marigold and sawdust
- Marigold is the bright orange-yellow flower widely used on altars and pathways; in Mexico it is commonly called cempasúchil. Its color and scent are used to “guide” the returning dead.
- Sawdust is the fine powder of wood—essentially “wood flour”—produced when wood is cut, drilled, or sanded. For Day of the Dead, it is dyed in vivid colors, sifted for an even texture, and laid out with stencils to form temporary carpets and ceremonial paths on streets and plazas. The surface is often lightly misted (sometimes with a diluted adhesive) so designs hold during the event, and the carpets are swept away afterward. Practical notes: use sawdust from untreated wood; keep large quantities away from open flames; and handle bulk material carefully because it is dusty and combustible.
3.2 Why November 1 and 2 — historical origins
The two-day observance blends pre-Hispanic remembrance with Catholic holy days introduced during the colonial era. Pre-Hispanic communities held multi-day festivals for the dead, offering food, drink, and crafted objects to welcome ancestors. In the 16th century and after, Catholic All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) became the adopted calendar anchors for these practices. Today, November 1 often honors children and those who died young, while November 2 centers on adults. Altars typically feature photographs, candles (light to guide), flowers (color and scent to welcome), water and salt (refreshment and purity), and favorite foods or seasonal bread.
3.3 National perspective
Across Mexico, communities combine tradition, public art, and civic participation in main squares, cathedrals, cemeteries, and waterfronts. Recurring components include processions, home and public altars, projection mapping, marigold carpets and arches, decorative sawdust rugs, candles, and monumental Catrinas. The aims are honoring the deceased, preserving cultural identity, promoting tourism, and strengthening social cohesion.
3.4 Aguascalientes
The Festival of Skulls features handicrafts and public concerts aligned to Day of the Dead themes.
3.5 Baja California
Seasonal cultivation of marigolds serves as a key supply for altars and public decorations.
3.6 Cabo San Lucas
A nautical tribute on the bay forms part of the commemorations.
3.7 Chihuahua
A children’s rite places participants under a white sheet with a candle while prayers for their rest are spoken; the activity concludes with songs and sweets.
3.8 Guadalajara (Jalisco)
Programming includes activities that foreground demands for justice related to femicides during the Day of the Dead period.
3.9 Mexico City
A parade sets out from the historic main square and covers more than 8.7 kilometers.
3.10 Pátzcuaro (Michoacán)
Cemetery vigils across the lake communities draw large numbers of visitors during the Night of the Dead.
3.11 Pomuch (Campeche)
Families practice a Maya bone-cleaning rite, carefully dusting and arranging remains on hand-embroidered cloth inside ossuaries as an act of remembrance.
3.12 Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco)
A giant Catrina stands as a symbolic guardian of the seafront promenade; one documented figure records a height of 28.15 meters in 2022.
3.13 Saltillo
In the Santa Anita neighborhood, a monumental altar rises along 180 steps in the historic center.
3.14 San Luis Potosí
Multicolor projection mapping illuminates the Metropolitan Cathedral as part of seasonal programming.
3.15 Taxco (Guerrero)
A monumental Catrina portrait is assembled using marigold flowers in the historic center.
3.16 Tzintzuntzan (Michoacán)
The cemetery glows with thousands of flowers and candles during the Night of the Dead.
3.17 University of Guanajuato
Eighty-six steps of the main staircase become a large, colorful altar display.
3.18 Xochitepec/Sochitepec (Morelos)
A “Path of Light” ceremonial carpet forms a long processional route; prior editions cite approximately 300 meters. Lanterns rise with photographs of loved ones.
3.19 Family offerings nationwide
Households build altars with photographs of the departed, favorite foods and drinks, and prayers for eternal rest and light.
3.20 Memory and death statement
A statement holds that death does not occur on the day the heart stops, but on the last occasion when a person’s name is spoken.
3.21 Notta and “Universal Engine”
Notta functions as a speech-to-text (STT, speech to text) and meeting-notes platform with support for file uploads and real-time capture plus AI (artificial intelligence) summaries. A label reading “by Universal Engine” appears in at least one transcript display; public materials do not describe a separately specified “Universal Engine” product.
4) Practical Takeaways
- Day of the Dead is observed on November 1–2, aligning long-standing Indigenous remembrance with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
- Marigold color and scent, together with candlelight, water, salt, and favorite foods, create a symbolic path that welcomes the dead.
- Sawdust carpets are temporary, stenciled street artworks made from dyed, sifted wood powder; they are set, lightly misted, displayed during the event, and then removed.
- Distinctive practices include Pomuch’s bone-cleaning rite, Taxco’s marigold Catrina, Cabo’s bay tribute, and Xochitepec’s Path of Light.
- Documented figures include an 8.7-kilometer parade route in Mexico City, 180 steps in Saltillo, 86 steps at the University of Guanajuato, and 28.15 meters for Puerto Vallarta’s Catrina in 2022.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 