The temperatures rose to the upper sixties, blue skies peaked around high, wispy cirrus, and the open road beckoned. Heeding that call, Ursula and I jumped into our mighty roadster and headed up the back roads through the cotton fields and pecan orchards to the small town of Mesilla, New Mexico. We’ve talked about Old Mesilla before, but the reason for this trip was the annual Dia de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead.
Our visit to Old Mesilla began at our favorite Mexican restaurant El Comedor, within easy walking distance of Mesilla’s historic central plaza. Situated in the center of the plaza is a large bandstand, which on this day housed a DJ and an array of speakers that poured festive music over the celebration. The north end of the plaza is anchored by the Basilica of San Albino.
Lining the perimeter of the plaza were artists hawking their crafts, vendors selling the usual tasty fare, and family memorials. The shops that bound the plaza to the east and west were open and business was brisk. Stores displayed native American silver jewelry. One winery shop sold New Mexico wines and pistachios (we wound up with five pounds of shelled, green chili-flavored pistachios—they’re great on salads). The quaint book store was, as usual, very well stocked with books geared toward New Mexico points of interest and historical figures running the gambit from infamous outlaws to famous lawmen.
So, what does a Day of the Dead celebration look like? It looks a bit like this:
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 
R. Doug, you and Ursula seem to have so much fun! I have travel envy. 🙂
The great thing about living in El Paso, Karen, is that there’s so much to see and do at short, day-trip distances. Indeed, Old Mesilla is only about forty miles from our home.