Happy Día de los Muertos!

For the second year in a row, Mexico City comes alive by celebrating its dead. Being in Mexico for el Día de "los Muertos is an unforgettable experience that will challenge your notions of the afterlife with its mix ancient traditions with religious beliefs—all generously imbued with the vibrant color, music and pageantry this country is known for.

Mexican culture has been happily percolating its way through U.S. daily life for quite a while (Taco Tuesday, anyone?) but nowhere has it been more evidenced lately than during Halloween.

The beauty of the candied skulls and the brightly painted catrinas with their long eyelashes, jaunty hats and fuchsia flowers in their hair are everywhere you look.

Yet, el Día de los Muertos—declared a masterpiece and intangible Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO—is definitely not Mexican Halloween.

In fact, when Halloween is over and done in the US, Mexico’s celebration is just beginning!

It’s not to say they have nothing in common: Halloween, or All Hallows Eve (a “hallow” is a “saint”), is basically the precursor to November 1st or Holy Innocents’ Day (Día de los Santos Inocentes), in remembrance of departed children.

November 2nd is the actual Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). But far from being an occasion for malevolent spirits and those seriously disturbing clown costumes, these two days are dedicated to prayer and, of course, plenty of fiesta with food, drink, dancing and music—all to honor and celebrate those who left their earthly travails behind.

Based on the common belief that the souls of the dead cross into the land of the living during those two days, families prepare for their visit by crafting intricate altars, called ofrendas, in their homes and businesses.

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Sweet candy skulls, pan de muertos—soft, sweet bread flavored with anisette and cinnamon and decorated with “crossbones,” perfect with hot chocolate or coffee)—garlands of cempazuchitl flowers (yellow marigolds), flowers and multi-colored papel picado (paper cutouts) are laid out on a simple table or festooned around an entire room.

Tucked among it all are photos of the deceased, incense, their favorite belongings, their toys, plus food and drink to tempt them to return, with plenty of candles to light their way home.

Then there are the iconic catrinas that have come to represent the Day of the Dead: Originally the creation of famous artist José Guadalupe Posada, he sketched his first one over 100 years ago to poke fun at the era’s social climbers.

Today, these elegant figurines with their wide-brimmed hats, elaborate dresses and haughty stances—together with their masculine counterparts, the catrones—are part and parcel of Mexico’s artistic landscape.

At the cemeteries, families—from babies to grannies—keep an all-day vigil, cleaning and decorating the headstones, setting out food and drink and playing music. They gather not to lament but to share with their deceased a favorite meal, a glass of tequila and a good round of mariachi music. The church does its part, tolling the bells to invite the souls to the celebration, urging them to follow the trails of yellow petals from its door to the cemetery.

For travelers, the artistry, the pageantry and the food are well worth the visit. The celebration of the Día de los Muertos is miles away from the carved pumpkin smiles, the plastic masks and wrapped candies that take over US shopping centers and suburbs on Halloween.

Mexicans truly have a unique attitude to life and death that is deeply rooted in their culture, and it’s an experience that can leave a beautiful imprint on your heart and soul.

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Día de los Muertos is celebrated nationwide and with particular zeal in places such as Mixquic in Mexico City; the island of Janitzio and Pátzcuaro in Michoacán; Oaxaca City in Oaxaca; and in San Miguel de Allende with the gorgeous La Calaca Festival.

Resorts and attractions in Mexico also love to share this colorful tradition with their guests. Here are a few that caught our eye:

—La Colección’s properties love a good celebration. At the Live Aqua Boutique Resort Playa del Carmen, their coffee deli becomes an elaborately decorated Day of the Dead sanctuary, where guests will find the extraordinary cempazuchitl flowers adorning every corner of the room, as well as the quintessential shrines that honor the dead on this celebratory day. The resort’s chef will also show guests how to make and decorate their own sugarcoated skull.

—The Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun hosts an elaborate Day of the Dead altar at their renowned restaurant, Viña del Mar. The hotel invites guests to honor the traditions of the occasion by serving typical foods, including pan de muertos (bread of the dead) as they adorn the restaurant with emblematic decorations including the catrinas.

—At Mexico’s Velas Resorts, the Five-Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s mixologist David Hernández is pouring his delicious Tun-Tun specialty cocktail during the season: a blend of white tequila, evaporated milk, almond liqueur, agave nectar, pumpkin puree and angostura bitters.

—The Riviera Maya’s Xcaret Park honors the dead by inviting guests to experience the Hanal Pixan ritual (food for the souls) and delight in the cuisine of the region, workshops, crafts, visual art exhibits, dances, gala concerts, theater productions and more, all in the best Maya tradition.