A journey through the Day of the Dead in Mexico City that only Mexico could imagine.
The engine roars.
It's not a movie, but it looks like one.
Mexico City is more alive than ever, even when celebrating the dead.
The driver turns on the stereo: an old Chavela Vargas song plays while the traffic moves like a modern procession of lights and horns. Next to him, a traveler watches through the window, hypnotized by the altars on every corner, by the faces painted like skulls laughing fearlessly.
Because here in Mexico, death is not scary... it gives reason.
The air smells of cempasúchil, pan de muerto and mystery.
Destiny: Mixquic, one of the most emblematic places to experience the Day of the Dead in CDMX.
The driver smiles.
“Ready to meet those who have already left?” he says with that humor between solemn and mocking that only the Mexican understands.
And there goes the van, crossing avenues that look like scenes from a screenplay Tarantino would love:
- An improvised altar in a taqueria.
- A grandmother praying next to a bottle of tequila.
- A group of young people laughing while wearing skull makeup.
Everything is color, chaos and devotion.
Everything vibrates to the rhythm of the Mexican heart.
The camera. If this were cinema. I would make a close-up to the passenger's face: a tear, a smile, a mixture of nostalgia and amazement.
He doesn't understand everything, but feel everything.Because the Day of the Dead in Mexico is not explained, it is live, will manages, will go to.
And therein lies the magic:
in the road, in the journey, in the stories that cross between traffic lights and candles.
The dawn accompanies him.
The streets are quiet, but not empty: the shadows seem to wave from the sidewalks, as if those who left had also enjoyed the walk.
The driver turns off the engine, looks at the passenger and says:
“Did you see? I told him that not all trips are one way. ”And then, between the exhaust smoke and the last glow of the candles, everything is understood:
In Mexico, every route tells a story... even the ones that go to the afterlife.
