How James Bond inspired Mexico City’s Day of the Dead parade

Mexico City's Day of the Dead parade, a relatively recent addition to the centuries-old tradition, owes its inception to the iconic British spy, James Bond. The parade, which honours the deceased by blending pre-Columbian customs with Christian All Saints’ Day, began as a family event where relatives visited cemeteries and set up altars with their loved ones' favorite foods and items.

In 2016, Miguel Angel Mancera, who served as Mexico City mayor from 2012 to 2018, initiated the city's first Day of the Dead parade. This move came after the 2015 Bond film "Spectre" featured a scene where the spy strolled through a crowd dressed as the dead in downtown Mexico City. The parade, which has now turned 10, is characterized by giant skeletons, floats, and performers in feathered headdresses and masks that transform downtown avenues into a carnival atmosphere.

The event, which has attracted visitors from Mexico and abroad, now expects over half a million attendees, coinciding with the city's Formula One Grand Prix race. The parade, once a more intimate affair, has evolved into a mass event, with some cemeteries now packed by tourists competing for space with families. Roberto Montalvo, an academic at the Iberoamerican University, noted that while the celebration has grown, the question remains: do we adjust our visit to the ritual or does the ritual adapt to the visitor?