Mexico City’s Iconic Día de los Muertos Parade Was Actually Inspired by That James Bond Opening Scene
Mexico City hosts an incredible Día de los Muertos parade every year. The parade first started in 2016 and has become a must-visit event in the country. The incredible spectacle of culture and tradition was inspired by none other than James Bond. The first official Día de Muertos parade was hosted a year after the release of “Spectre.” Here is how a movie encouraged Mexico City to start an annual parade tradition.
Mexico City’s Día de los Muertos parade is inspired by James Bond
Día de Muertos is a holiday that people across Mexico look forward to every year. Until 2015, the holiday consisted mainly of people going to the cemetery to be with their loved ones and setting up an ofrenda for those who had passed. These traditional ways of celebrating the dead are the core of Día de Muertos. It wasn’t until “Spectre,” a 2015 James Bond film, that Mexico City considered hosting a large Día de los Muertos parade.
Anna Terrazas, the costume supervisor in Mexico for the film, shared how they made it come to life. She was tasked with creating a Día de los Muertos parade as the opening scene for the movie but she reminded people that no such parade exists. Yet, she leaned in and went to work making it happen.
“I got to create a team of like around 70 people,” Terrazas said in an interview. “We worked for around 6 months just for that tiny scene. So, we built everything that you see; All the dresses, all the suits, all the masks.”
She added: “So, after the James Bond film, now there’s a parade every year in Mexico City. It’s directly because of the film because, actually, the year it came out, the next year, the government called me to say, ‘Hey. Can we use some of the costumes that were made for that?’ I was like, ‘Sure. We just need to ask.’ So all of that was reused in the first parade and now they hire, every year, a different designer to design the parade but it was because of the film.”
The parade is an annual tradition now and it’s a treat to experience
The Día de los Muertos parade has become an important cultural moment for Mexico City. Millions of people line the streets in Mexico City to watch the artistry and heritage makes its way through the city. Each year celebrates a different theme that dives into indigenous cultures that make Mexico a vibrant tapestry. The parade is a spectacle for the eyes.
Just like the opening scene of “Spectre,” the Día de los Muertos parade is known for its extravagance. The parade is known for its extraordinary floats that bring the parade to life. Imagine larger-than-life skeletons, alebrijes, and Catrina figures dancing along the streets of Mexico City. All of this is accompanied by dancers and musicians wearing elaborate costumes that bring the love and appreciation of the afterlife to the parade attendees.
The theme of last year’s Día de los Muertos parade was “Journey of Our Ancestors.” It was inspired by the annual migration of the iconic monarch butterfly. The butterfly is believed to be connected to the returning souls of ancestors in indigenous communities like the Purépecha and Mazahua. This year’s theme has not been announced but is sure to be an artistic spectacle.
