What Día de Muertos in Mexico City Is Really Like, Two Trips Apart

Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, turns Mexico City into a sea of marigolds, towering altars, sugar skulls, and parades at the end of October and into early November. I went twice while researchi...

The Monarch Migration: The Butterflies That Return for Día de Muertos

Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies fly up to 3,000 miles from Canada and the United States to the mountain forests of central Mexico, arriving right around Día de Muertos, or Day of the De...

Why Marigolds? The Meaning of Cempasúchil in Día de Muertos

Marigolds, called cempasúchil in Mexico, are the flower of Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Their bright orange color and strong, earthy scent are believed to guide the spirits of loved ones bac...

A Book Club Guide to Monarch of the Heart: Themes and Questions

Monarch of the Heart was written to be talked about. It is a story about grief, love, and the courage to begin again, the kind of book that opens up conversation around a table. Whether you are rea...

Monarch of the Heart: The Story, the Release, and What's Coming

Monarch of the Heart is my debut novel, a sweeping story of grief, courage, and unexpected love set in Mexico City during Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It releases October 1 in ebook, paperba...

Where the Story Began: How Monarch of the Heart Came to Life

Monarch of the Heart grew out of more than twenty years of learning what grief can look like: the sudden death of my father when I was twenty-six, the loss of my best friend to addiction, a divorce...

Coyoacán and Casa Azul: Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Mexico City

Coyoacán is one of Mexico City's most atmospheric neighborhoods, a leafy, village-like pocket of plazas, churches, markets, and cafés in the south of the city, and home to Casa Azul, the cobalt-blu...

How to Build an Ofrenda: A Beginner's Guide to the Día de Muertos Altar

An ofrenda is a home altar built during Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, to welcome the spirits of loved ones back for a visit. It holds their photos, their favorite foods and belongings, marigo...

What Are Alebrijes? The Story Behind Mexico's Spirit Animals

Alebrijes are brightly painted Mexican folk-art sculptures of fantastical creatures, each one blending the features of several animals into a single dreamlike being. They were born in Mexico City i...