MEXICO CITY — Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s famous Day of the Dead celebrations; Even Fido and Tiger appear on altars adorned with flowers, candles, and photographs where Mexican families honor their deceased loved ones.

Although human dead often place their favorite food or drink on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different.

The holiday has its roots in Mexico’s pre-Hispanic traditions and respect for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to guide their owners to the afterlife and were sometimes given special funeral rites.

But the inclusion of pets at family altars has increased in recent years.

Day of the Dead begins on October 31 to commemorate people killed in accidents; It is held on November 1 to commemorate those who died in childhood, followed by November 2 to commemorate those who died as adults.

Celebrations include entire families cleaning and decorating graves covered with orange marigolds. Both in cemeteries and at home altars, relatives light candles and offer their deceased relatives’ favorite foods and drinks.

The existence of pets has gained such momentum that October 27 is now considered the Day of the Dead for pets, and the National Institute of Anthropology and History is offering tips on how to include them at altars on its social platforms.

Every year, Mexico City-based graphic designer Meztli Lizaola makes sure that Taco, her beloved tawny Chihuahua who died two years ago, has a place at the altar on a table in the corner of her living room.

Taco’s ashes are there, and there’s a photo of Lizaola with living eyes next to the photo of her late father.

Orange flowered cempasúchil (a type of marigold), candles and skulls are placed around the photographs.

Taco was an omnivore and, as the name suggests, enjoyed tacos (especially fried pork) and other traditional Mexican human foods such as quesadillas and concha pastries.

But since he has four other dogs, he can’t leave Taco’s favorite foods at the altar; A sneaky pup is likely to pick it up.

Elements of Halloween have been blending into seasonal festivities for years, and pets are no different. For those with still-living dogs and cats, it’s not uncommon to find a wide variety of pet Halloween costumes at pet stores, including convict-style “bad dog” costumes.

Ethnohistorian Juan Pablo García Urióstegui says the inclusion of pets and Halloween influences are part of changes to the traditional holiday that have accelerated, especially in the last three years:

“We are experiencing changes in traditions. It’s happening very quickly,” said García Urióstegui of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology. It’s no longer uncommon to see pets on airplanes, in bars and restaurants, or even at their owners’ medical appointments.

First of all, especially in large cities, extended families with many children are generally a thing of the past, and couples who only have pets – the so-called “perrihijos” or “dog children” – are no longer uncommon.

“This is where you see practices around death starting to take hold,” he said. “They are no longer ordinary companions… They are creatures with memories, whose memories need to be remembered.”

But the fascination with dogs dates back to Mexico, where hairless dogs known as xoloitzcuintles were common before the Spanish brought larger, hairier hunting dogs to Mexico during their conquest of 1519-1521.

Pre-Hispanic dogs were often sacrificed or buried alongside their owners—or represented as elaborate ceramic figurines—because the owner needed the dogs’ keen senses to find the way to the underworld after death.

Lizaola is still feeling Taco’s absence. His face is tattooed on his right arm. The dog changed his life and that of his partner.

“It’s like there’s a before and after in my life,” she said, noting that Taco inspired them to become more involved in supporting abandoned animals and rescuing dogs from the streets.

There was initially some resistance within his family to Taco’s inclusion on the altar, a place reserved for long-departed family members. But they emerged when relatives’ pets died and “now there are more dogs than people,” he said.