Free Republic

A gravedigger has been suspended and a family subjected to ridicule after posing with the corpse of a man who died 23 years ago. An image of council worker Celestino Reyna, 55, alongside the cadaver and the husband of the dead man’s niece, was sent to her work colleagues via Whatsapp. The photo then ended up on social media, where is was then widely shared – and Mr Reyna recognised by his employers. ‘We never thought this could have such serious consequences, and I did not want to show any lack of respect for my uncle,’ the apologetic niece, who...

Living can keep dear dead near With rosary in hand, Laredoan Mary Trejo looked at her Santa Muerte-adorned altar with pride Saturday at the Laredo Center for the Arts. "(La Santa Muerte) has been with me when I most needed peace," said Trejo, who bore a tattoo of the skeletal figure on her right calf. "Because when you don't have peace, you have nothing." Pictures of her father, mother, cousin and recently deceased dog, Beethoven, also adorned the altar. "To me, Dia de los Muertos is a very special day," she said. "Even though they are dead, they are still...