Processions of the Living Dead: Day of the Dead Parades

In this episode of Junk and Disorderly, I’m joined by Oaxaca retreat organizers Mija Matriz and Jon Labrousse for a conversation about Day of the Dead processions in Oaxaca — comparsas, calendas, and muerteadas — and why they feel like much more than parades. We talk about music you hear before you see, masks and costumes that feel more like presence than dress-up, and the way these events turn the street into a temporary world of memory, celebration, theater, and community. We also get into the differences between broader Muertos processions and the more eerie, theatrical muerteadas, plus what outsiders often misunderstand when they see these traditions only as spectacle.

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