Day of Dead Altar with Hundreds of Candles

Hundreds of small wax candles line the tiered shelves of an elaborate altar, their flames flickering in a warm rhythm. The setting is a stone temple courtyard in Mexico City, where wet pavement from the monsoon season reflects the sunset in shifting pools of orange and gold. Marigold petals scatter across the steps, their vibrant orange against the darkening stone. Window light falls through the open arches, illuminating the glossy surfaces of ceramic skulls arranged in rows. A child's paper piñata hangs slightly tilted beside the altar, its colorful fringe catching the fading daylight. Reflections of the flames pool on the wet ground at the edge of the stone column.