Día de los Muertos on Olvera Street

For nearly 40 years, the merchants of Olvera Street, many from families that have been part of the street since 1930, have marked Día de los Muertos with a nine-day festival at El Pueblo Historical Monument. Each night a novenario procession, led by the Aztec group Grupo Tartalejos with incense and a blessing, moves through the plaza with Aztec dancers and "Living Muertos" dressed as skeletons, ending at the Kiosko, where the loved ones of a merchant family or community member are honored. Sweet bread and drinks are shared with everyone, community altars stay on display, and Teatro del Barrio performs La Danza de la Muerte.

Our take: Come in the evening, when the Danza de la Muerte and the nightly procession run back to back, and walk the altars before dark.