MEXICO — Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s famous Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger have a place on the altars that Mexican families have erected to honor their deceased loved ones, with flowers, candles and photographs.

Although the human dead usually have their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different.

This holiday has its roots in pre-Hispanic Mexican customs, as does respect for animals. The small hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife and were sometimes buried in special ways.

But the inclusion of pets on family altars has grown in recent years.

The Day of the Dead begins on October 31, remembering humans who died in accidents; it continues on November 1 to mark those who died in childhood, then on November 2 for those who died as adults.

Celebrations include entire families cleaning and decorating graves covered in orange marigolds. In cemeteries and on home altars, relatives light candles and distribute the favorite foods and drinks of their deceased loved ones.

The presence of pets has become so widespread that October 27 is now considered the Day of the Dead for pets and the National Institute of Anthropology and History includes advice on its social platforms on the way of including them in the altars.

Mexico City graphic designer Meztli Lizaola makes sure every year that her beloved fawn-colored chihuahua, Taco — who died two years ago — has a place at the altar on a table in the corner of her living room.

Taco’s ashes are there in an urn, as is his bright-eyed photo, next to a photo of Lizaola’s deceased father.

Orange-flowered cempasúchil – a type of marigold – is placed around the photos, along with candles and skull figurines.

Taco was an omnivorous eater and – as his name suggests – enjoyed tacos (especially roast pork) and other traditional Mexican foods like quesadillas and concha pastries.

But since she has four other dogs, she can’t leave Taco’s favorite foods on the altar; a sneaky puppy is likely to snatch it.

For years, elements of Halloween have been mixed into the seasonal festivities, and for pets, it’s no different. For those who still have living dogs and cats, it’s not uncommon to find a wide variety of pet Halloween costumes at pet stores, including inmate-style “bad dog” costumes.

Ethnohistorian Juan Pablo García Urióstegui says the inclusion of pets and Halloween influences are among changes in the traditional holiday that have accelerated, particularly in the past three years.

“We are seeing changes in traditions. It’s happening very quickly,” said García Urióstegui of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology. It is now not uncommon to find pets on planes, in bars and restaurants or even at their owners’ medical appointments.

On the one hand, especially in big cities, the large family made up of many children often belongs to the past and couples with only pets – nicknamed “perrihijos” or “dog kids” – are no longer rare today. today.

“That’s where you see these practices around death starting to take hold,” he said. “They are no longer just companions among others… they are living beings who hold memories and whose memory must be commemorated.”

But admiration for dogs goes back a long way to Mexico, where hairless dogs known as xoloitzcuintles were common before the Spanish introduced their larger, hairier dogs to Mexico during the 1519-1521 conquest .

Pre-Hispanic dogs were often sacrificed or buried near their owners – or depicted as carefully crafted ceramic figurines – because the owner needed the dogs’ keen senses to find the way to the underworld after death.

Lizaola still feels Taco’s absence. His face is tattooed on his right arm. The dog changed his life and that of his partner.

“There’s like a before and after in my life,” she said, noting that Taco inspired them to become more involved in supporting abandoned animals and rescuing street dogs.

Initially, there was some resistance within his family to the idea of ​​including Taco on the altar, a place long reserved for deceased family members. But when their loved ones’ pets died, they came back and “now there are more dogs than people,” she said.