Cozumel Day of the Dead Festival Opens With Michoacán and Monarch Butterfly as Guests

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Music, art and altars kept memory alive as the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel (FPMC) opened the second edition of its “Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro” festival, drawing families, artists, students and residents for a first night devoted to Day of the Dead traditions.

This year’s guest is the state of Michoacán and the monarch butterfly. The festival began Friday night at the Museo de la Isla with the unveiling and lighting of the mural “Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro,” created by Cozumel artist Nemecio Interián, which will illuminate the landmark arch of the museum’s main facade over the coming days.

The voices of the FPMC Choir, directed by Argelia Chacón, delivered one of the evening’s special moments with a performance of the song that gives the festival its identity.

Altars, Catrinas and Community Art

Art took center stage with the opening of the traditional collective “Día de Muertos” exhibition, featuring works by local visual artists who contributed their talent to the celebration.

The tour continued with a display of papier-mâché catrinas made by secondary school students from Cozumel, and with the opening of a monumental altar dedicated to Michoacán that brings the public closer to the state’s cultural and symbolic heritage.

The traditions of the Yucatan Peninsula are also represented in the museum’s Casita Maya, where an altar was installed for Janal Pixan — “food of the souls” — reflecting how Maya communities remember and welcome their loved ones.

FPMC director general Juanita Alonso Marrufo said the festival is above all built with community participation and offers a space for children, young people and adults to learn, share and make the traditions their own.

“Every altar, every work, every song and every contribution reminds us that our traditions remain alive because we share them and pass them from generation to generation,” she said. “This festival is a space to come together as a community, celebrate our roots and keep present the memory of those who are part of our history.”

Two More Nights of Free Events

Alonso Marrufo invited residents and visitors to keep enjoying the festival on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25, starting at 7:30 p.m., with a broad free program that includes folkloric and pre-Hispanic dance, theater, videomapping, music, catrina characterizations and other artistic performances.

The opening event was also attended by Lilian Viallanueva Chan, director general of the Institute of Culture and the Arts of Quintana Roo; FPMC council members Ana López Campos and Alejandro Queb Franco; Canaco president Miguel Marrufo Reyes; Museo de la Isla director Isela Carrillo Cupul; museographer Satoko Kitamura; and artists who took part in the Day of the Dead exhibition.