Photos: Dia de los Muertos in Tucson
Tucsonans clean grave sites, place flowers and mementos, light candles and talk about their loved ones during Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, on Nov. 2, 2017. The annual tradition, with its origins in Mexico before Spanish colonization, welcomes the return of the departed for a yearly family visit
Dia de los Muertos altar
Rocio Leon, right, and her daughter Micaela, 6, adorn the gravesite of her great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos altar
Rocio Leon and her children Alma, right, 9, and Micaela, 6, adorn the gravesite of her great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos altar
Rocio Leon and her children adorn the gravesite of her great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos altar
Rocio Leon, middle right, and her children (from left) Alma, 9, Micaela, 6, and Moises 18, adorn the gravesite of her great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos altar
Rocio Leon lights a cigarette with the burning incense to place on the gravesite of her great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, along with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. "I don't smoke, but they used to." Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos altar
Micaela, 6, left, sprinkles flower petals along with her older sister Alma, 9, at the gravesite of her great-great-grandparents, Emilio Velez and Julia Velez, decorated with a flowered arch, calaveras and Mexican bread for Dia de los Muertos at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3555 N. Oracle Road, on Nov. 1, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Leon has made the evening tradition on Nov. 1 since 2004. Leon brings her children to show them "it's important to carry the torch" in honoring their deceased loved ones.
Dia de los Muertos
Anna Maria Molina sits at the family plot in wait for others to join her during the special celebration of Dia de los Muertos, the traditional Hispanic festival of remembrance, in which departed spirits feel welcome to hold a reunion with living relatives at South Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, 5401 South Park Avenue in Tucson, AZ. on November 2, 2017. Buried at the cemetery are her sister, her daughter Alexa, and her husband.
Dia de los Muertos
Sisters Maria Zambata, left, and Maria Tovar share some ice cream at the grave of their father Miguel Barnett during the special celebration of Dia de los Muertos, the traditional Hispanic festival of remembrance, in which departed spirits feel welcome to hold a reunion with living relatives at South Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, 5401 South Park Avenue in Tucson, AZ. on November 2, 2017.
Dia de los Muertos
Anna Torres sits under a shade canopy at the altar she built by her mother's grave during the special celebration of Dia de los Muertos at South Lawn Mortuary and Cemetery, 5401 South Park Avenue in Tucson, AZ. on November 2, 2017. Picture on the altar are members of her family who have passed away.
If your kids have ever lost a loved one or a pet, Saturday's Procession of Little Angels is a great way to remember and celebrate them.