San Francisco, California – For 44 years, a nighttime procession has snaked through the heart of the Mission District, San Francisco's historic Latino neighbourhood.

Aztec dancers lead the way, followed by thousands of revellers, adorned in marigolds and face paint that transforms the living into a parade of colourful skulls.

The celebration marks Dia de los Muertos, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and throughout Latin America to honour the dead.

Louie Gutierrez, one of the organisers behind San Francisco's festivities, considers it a time of somber reflection but also joy and exuberance.

“There’s a compassion in the air,” said Gutierrez, who works with the cultural advocacy group El Colectivo del Rescate Cultural de la Mission.

This year, however, as Latino communities across the Uni

See Full Page