by Agueda Pacheco Flores

Across cultures, this time of year, when the sun starts to set early and the clouds grow gray, signals the long winter to come. In American culture, the dark ambiance spurs thoughts of scary movies, pumpkin patches, and end-of-the-month night walks for candy. But for Mexicans and other Latinos from countries such as Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, the season is meant to honor and welcome the deceased back into this plane of existence.