Rockefeller Center is dressed this year with a Mexican altar of the dead

The traditional altar of the Day of the Dead arrived Friday (Oct. 29) at Rockefeller Center in New York, one of the most emblematic places in the city that this year, instead of paying homage to American Halloween, He has opted for Mexican customs.

The huge altar, dedicated to all the essential workers who perished during the pandemic in New York, has been decorated with vibrantly colored petals, skulls, candles, tequila bottles, vessels and dogs of the Xoloitzcuintle breed, which, according to Mexican beliefs, guide the souls of the dead through the underworld, just as the movie Coco told.

“Dedicated to the essential workers who gave their lives to keep the city moving. New Yorkers honor and thank you,” reads a sign on the back of the structure.

The altar, presented this Friday by the Consul General of México in New York, Jorge Islas, is not only in front of the imposing Rockefeller skyscraper, since it is surrounded by a small market where you can buy all kinds of typical dishes, from pozole to tacos, traditional bread and tequila.

The central square is completed by several sculptures by Menchaca Studio, among them a catrina by the Mexican-American Selena Quintanilla or another by the artist Frida Kahlo, as well as a large skull dressed in the famous charro hat.