Dia de Los Muertos~Alamos

 Hola!
 Early yesterday, the Alameda was lined with flower vendors. Gladiolus, marigolds, carnations and mums in many colors were available. The beautiful flower coronas were hung on the gazebo and Alamos was jammed packed with people buying things they needed for their preparations of graves at the Panteon.

I have been going out to the Panteon for the last several weeks, helping a few folks find graves they want to tend through the History Association's 'Adopt a Grave' program. I have never seen so many workers, all clearing brush, washing down grave sites, white washing walls and sites and watering trees and flowers.

This was our 5th Day of the Dead and the Alamos Panteon was the most beautiful I have ever seen it. The crowd was also one of the largest we have ever seen and there were more musicians than you could count on two hands.

 We usually go out the morning of the 2nd and put our flowers or coronas and candles on the graves we tend, then return later for the 4pm Mass and the festivities. But this year we took our flowers with us when we went later in the day and the Panteon was already packed with familes.
Below Senor is putting a corona on the graves of Ida Louisa Franklin and her son, Walter.

 Outside the Panteon were food vendors with tamales and tacos, and tres leche cakes and cream cheese pies and empanadas, and other folks selling all kinds of things, like bubble blowers and sparkly hats from China and huge packages of pots and pans and plastic chairs.

 Then, as is our custom, we drove up to the Mirador to watch it from a distance.

Then we went back down to town where it was very quiet.  But now, it is Saturday.
We are on our way to the Calaca Festival at the Plaza............. let the fiesta continue!