Cozumel Festival Honors Day of the Dead With Light, Dance and Memory

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Under lights, music and dance, residents of Cozumel gathered once again outside the Museo de la Isla for the second night of the festival “Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro,” organized by the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel (FPMC), which turned the landmark space into a stage for celebrating memory, roots and local talent.

The evening opened with a videomapping projection across the wings of a monarch butterfly, the symbol of Michoacán, the state to which this second edition of the festival is dedicated. Light, images and color then gave way to a procession that moved toward the stage to represent the laying of an offering, accompanied by members of the FPMC’s singing, guitar and dance workshops, who showed off their skills before the crowd.

The collective “Canoa Ancestral” portrayed the return of souls coming back to reunite with their loved ones, evoking the distinctly Mexican way of living alongside death — through remembrance, food, celebration and the light that guides souls home.

The mood shifted with the traditional Danza de los Viejitos, performed by the folkloric group “Encantos de mi Cultura,” directed by Jorge Sabido, which filled the stage with energy and drew applause from the audience.

Dance and theater continued with “Zací, el eco de un amor inmortal,” a stage production by the Tzunúm company that used movement and performance to tell the audience the legend of the Zací cenote and a story in which love transcends time.

FPMC director general Juanita Alonso Marrufo welcomed families and thanked everyone who made the second edition possible, from those who worked on preparations and staging to the artists, groups and collaborators who contributed their talent. She gave special recognition to the students who made the papier-mâché catrinas on display at the Museo de la Isla and to the visual artists featured in the collective Day of the Dead exhibition, noting that community participation is what gives “Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro” its life and meaning.

Lilian Villanueva Chan, director of the state Institute of Culture and the Arts, congratulated the FPMC on the second edition and stressed the importance of creating spaces that bring families together, strengthen community life and build peace through art and cultural expression.

After a night devoted to memory and tradition, the celebration turned to life itself. The program “Una Noche de Baile Cana al Aire,” with music from the group “Ritmo Caribeño,” closed the evening with dancing and invited the public to make the space their own.

Following two nights of celebration, “Tradición, Luz y Reencuentro” wraps up on Sunday with more free activities for residents and visitors starting at 7 p.m. outside the Museo de la Isla.