Elder Andersen Honors Mexico Day of the Dead Traditions

Mexico's annual Day of the Dead celebrations are bringing renewed attention to the country's traditions of honoring deceased relatives, as Elder Neil L. Andersen highlights the spiritual significance of family connections while residents of San Andrés Mixquic raise concerns about growing tourist crowds at local cemeteries.

The celebrations take place November 1-2. In a video recorded at the General Cemetery in Oaxaca, Andersen, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, praised Mexican families for preserving memories of their ancestors.

Andersen described the country's observances as an important expression of family remembrance and cultural identity.

"What a blessing it is to be here at the General Cemetery in Oaxaca and to learn more about one of the most meaningful and beautiful traditions of this wonderful country: Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead," Elder Andersen said.

He emphasized that family relationships remain significant even after death and encouraged people to preserve the experiences and stories of previous generations.

"Each of us has people who hold a special place in our hearts. Some are with us today. Others have crossed the veil and are no longer seen by our mortal eyes. Yet their names, their stories, their examples and their love continue to be part of our lives," Elder Andersen said.

He also connected family remembrance with religious practices, particularly temple service for deceased ancestors. The video shows decorated graves, candles placed inside cemetery wall niches, colorful papel picado decorations and marigolds surrounding burial sites.

Mexican families also prepare ofrendas, household displays featuring photographs and personal belongings of deceased relatives. Andersen said sharing ancestral stories helps people understand their connections across generations.

"We are part of a family far greater than we may realize. We are links in a chain that binds generations together through faith, sacrifice, experience and love," he said.

He described remembering relatives, preserving their histories and performing temple ordinances as part of a religious commitment to maintaining family relationships.

"We participate in the sacred work of uniting generations and strengthening eternal bonds of family," Elder Andersen said.

His message concluded with a statement about Christian beliefs concerning life after death.

"Because of His Resurrection, death is not the end of our story. Through the ordinances of the temple, the bonds of love we cherish in this life can endure forever," he said.

The church's Mexico Area Presidency, comprising Elders Moisés Villanueva, Jose L. Alonso, Brik V. Eyre and Jorge M.

Alvarado, also launched a November initiative called They Deserve to Be Remembered. The campaign encourages members and their friends to research their ancestry and take family names to temples.

The initiative promotes the preservation of family histories and the religious hope of maintaining family relationships throughout eternity. Church social media publications also direct people to FamilySearch.org to explore their ancestry.

Meanwhile, the celebrations in San Andrés Mixquic, a historic village outside Mexico City, illustrate the challenges that accompany the holiday's international popularity.

Families traditionally spend days cleaning graves and decorating burial sites with marigolds before gathering for prayers, songs, candles and incense. However, large numbers of visitors have increasingly crowded the cemetery during the festivities.

Jesús, a son of Ángel Jiménez del Águila, who died in 2010, gathered with relatives at his father's grave during the celebrations.

"Salucita for our dead," Jesús said while raising a toast to his father.

According to Mexico City government figures cited by CNN, approximately 100,000 people visited the Mixquic cemetery between October 31 and November 2, 2025. That total was roughly seven times the village's population within three days.

The crowds have created difficulties for residents who want to maintain private family rituals. Martha Nashieli, one of Ángel's daughters, recalled being unable to enter the cemetery because of the number of visitors.

"They wouldn't let me in," Martha said. "I was frustrated because he's my dad, I'm from here, and they weren't letting me enter because there were seas of people."

Martha, 40, said growing tourism has changed the atmosphere of a tradition she has observed since childhood. She regularly visited her grandparents' graves with her family on November 2.

"Suddenly, something intimate becomes — I wouldn't want to put it this way — but it becomes a spectacle, doesn't it?" Martha said.

She explained that the cemetery holds deep personal significance for families gathering to remember relatives.

"And this is something intimate, something very private. At each grave, there's a sense of communion," she said.

Despite the difficulties, Martha does not oppose international visitors. She recognizes their interest in the celebration but believes the cemetery has reached its physical limits.

"The truth is, there just isn't enough room for all of us anymore," Martha said. "We're very cramped. Our cemetery...well, there's simply no room for more people."

Tourism researcher Driselda Sánchez-Aguirre, a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has studied the effects of visitor numbers on Mixquic's traditional celebrations.

She recalled an earlier attempt by authorities to separate tourists from families through a bridge overlooking the cemetery. However, some residents objected to the arrangement because it made them feel observed.

"Like little animals in a zoo," Sánchez-Aguirre said, describing how residents felt about the viewing arrangement. The bridge was ultimately used only once.

Current guidance in Mexico City's official tourism materials advises visitors to seek permission before photographing families and to avoid using camera flashes. However, Sánchez-Aguirre said individual recommendations become less effective when crowds exceed a cemetery's capacity.

She explained that visitors may begin copying inappropriate behavior when they see other tourists speaking loudly, using flash photography or stepping on graves to take pictures.

"This is what everyone does," Sánchez-Aguirre said, describing the impression that such behavior can create among visitors.

She proposed providing clear instructions before tourists enter the cemetery, emphasizing that the site is primarily a place for families to remember their deceased relatives.

"You are entering a sacred space where families keep vigil over their loved ones," Sánchez-Aguirre said.

She added a direct warning about the purpose of the cemetery.

"This is not a spectacle," she said.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada has acknowledged that the Mixquic cemetery does not have sufficient space for additional burials and pledged to work toward a solution. However, the announced initiative does not specifically address tourism pressures.

Martha believes respectful tourism can still help preserve the tradition by introducing international visitors to its cultural and family significance.

"It becomes a kind of communion," she said.

She explained that visitors can participate meaningfully even when they do not personally know the families whose relatives are being remembered.

"Even if we don't know them, we know they come with respect and a desire to learn about our traditions. So, we invite them to come respectfully – to come live our tradition, to get to know it, to preserve it, to take it back to their own homes," Martha said.