The mass-marketing of the Day of the Dead is evident in the costumes that people buy for the day. Man Hon Lam / EyeEm Getty Images
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Photos: Day of the Dead celebrations through the years
Ruben Cohuoo, 18, and his mother Guadalupe Che, clean and rearrang the bones and the grave of their grandparents in Pomuch Town, in the northwestern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 29, 2004. In this small village , the last days of October are devoted to cleaning the bones: dusting, polishing, scrubbing and rearranging the skeletal remains of family members in time for the Day of the Dead, when Mexicans welcome the souls of the dearly departed back to earth.(AP Photo/Jaime Puebla)
Alejandro Hernandez places candy skulls on a terraced slope where National Autonomous University of Mexico students collected more than 5,600 of the edible skulls, which are traditional offerings during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico, constructing the the largest skull wall in Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004. Mexicans honor the dead on Nov. 1, when the souls of dead children are believed to arrive, and on Nov. 2, when adults are believed to return. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Gaily festooned papier-mache skeletons are all smiles as they take part in the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico City, Oct. 31, 1974. The day is held in honor of dead relatives and Mexicans mark the occasion by indulging in bizarre handicraft. The tradition goes back to the days of the Aztecs. (AP Photo/HEM)
Channing Watson-Boal of Westport, Conn., looks over some of the typical handicrafts on display in Mexico City for the ancient Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, Oct. 31, 1974. The celebration goes back to pre-Columbian days and coincides with Halloween. (AP Photo/HEM)
Young and old alike sit on the tombs of relatives all through the in the old cemetery in Mixquic outside Mexico City during the traditional celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Nov. 3, 1976. Relatives clean the graves, plant flowers, light candles and even offer up plates of the deceased’s favorite food and drink during the unusual all-night vigil on Monday and Tuesday in one of Mexico’s unique religious holidays. (AP Photo/HEM)
Ricardo Jimenez, 8, left, and his brother Andres, 9, lay flowers on their grandfather's grave at the Dolores Cemetery in Mexico City on Nov. 2, 1994. Families traditionally visit and clean grave sites of relatives on the Day of the Dead, celebrated every November 2. (AP Photo/Douglas Engle)
Monica Dober, 22, left, from the Hollywood area of Los Angeles dances with Jose Luis Alvarez, wearing a skull mask, originally from Michoacan, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 2 1995, as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Dead at the Plaza Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Rubi Rosas 12, left, holds a wooden stick as she tries to release a balloon stuck in a tree, while her sister Victoria, 7, right, and her mother Sandra Rosas look on Thursday, Nov. 2, 1995 at Plaza Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. Sandra Rosas says: "We came here, to the Plaza Olvera, to bang the drums, to bring out the spirits to parade, and remember our love ones who are dead. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A museum worker hands out flyers at a Day of the Dead 'la catrina' costume contest at the Dolores Olmeda Museum Saturday October 30, 2004 in Mexico City. Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead on November 1 to honor the deceased.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Candy skulls are seen where National Autonomous University of Mexico students collected more than 5,600 of the edible skulls, which are traditional offerings during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico, constructing the the largest skull wall in Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004. Mexicans honor the dead on Nov. 1, when the souls of dead children are believed to arrive, and on Nov. 2, when adults are believed to return. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Joel Solana, 6, yells to his parents as they decorate a gravesite in preparation for Day of the Dead, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004, in Tlayacapan, Mexico. Mexicans will honor their deceased loved ones on the November 1 and 2 holiday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Audrey Tellez from San Diego observes an altar set against the international border wall during a Day of the Dead ceremony on Monday, November 1, 2004 in Tijuana, Mexico. The event was in memory of the undocumented immigrants who have died while crossing the U.S./Mexico border. Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican custom on November 1 and 2 to remember and honor the deceased. (AP Photo/David Maung)
A man stands over a relative's grave at a roadside cemetery near the town of La Paz, northern Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. Residents celebrate Day of the Dead to honor the deceased, a tradition which coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
Decorative skulls sit for sale in Mexico City's largest flower market, Mercado de Jamaica, a few days before the Day of the Dead celebrations, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. Mexicans will celebrate Day of the Innocents on Nov. 1 and Day of the Dead on Nov. 2, traditions that mix both Spanish and Indian traditions and honor the dearly departed. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Tzotziles indians celebrate the Day of the Dead at El Romerillo cementery Saturday November 1, 1997, in San Cristobal las Casas, Chiapas. People from all Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead coming to the cementery to stay with their deads all day and night.(AP Photo/Pascual Gorriz)
A traditional Mexican 'Catrina', dressed as a 'Tehuana', from Mexico's southern Oaxaca state, walks at Mexico's National Autonomous University during Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A woman dressed as the iconic Mexican "Catrina" poses for photographers as she gathers with other women in costume in an attempt to set a record for the most Catrinas in one place during Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. The figure of a skeleton wearing an elegant broad-brimmed hat was first done as a satirical engraving by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada sometime between 1910 and his death in 1913. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Frangerato Salvador, 8, dressed as a Katarina, stands beside her brother's grave, marking the Day of the Dead holiday at the cemetery in San Gregorio, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The holiday honors the dead on Nov. 1, coinciding with All Saints Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Candles illuminate graves freshly decorated by family and friends, marking the Day of the Dead holiday at the cemetery in San Gregorio, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The holiday honors the dead on Nov. 1, coinciding with All Saints Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Candles illuminate children's tombs in the San Gregorio cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, late Saturday, Nov. 1, 2015. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, families decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds and candles, and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their deceased loved ones. At this cemetery, families pay a special tribute to children who have died, on the night of Oct. 31 into the morning of Nov. 1. The following night, families keep vigil at the tombs of adults. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
The grave of Mitzi Espinoza, a deceased child, is decorated with balloons and candles in the San Gregorio cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, late Saturday, Nov. 1, 2015. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, families decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds and candles, and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their deceased loved ones. At this cemetery, families pay a special tribute to children who have died, on the night of Oct. 31 into the morning of Nov. 1. The following night, families keep vigil at the tombs of adults. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Skeletons are arranged in a bar scene as part of a competition to create Day of the Dead altars on pedestrian Regina Street in central Mexico City, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. The holiday honors the dead as friends and families gather in cemeteries to decorate their loved ones' graves and hold vigil through the night on Nov. 1 and 2. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
