This is the wall I realized for Perros Sueltos in November  in the general cemetery of La Paz Bolivia on the mausoleum of the bus drivers.

Every year during the week of the dead the 8th of November there is the Fiesta de las Ñatitas.

The skulls are known locally as ñatitas (roughly meaning “the little pug-nosed ones”) and the morning of the 8th November all the people from La Paz meet at the cimitery to gives thanks to the dead, bringing with them the  skulls of their relatives.

Here on the high plateau of the Andes death has never been a fatalistic concept; those who pass on have simply transcended to another phase of life, and can still function within the family or social group. Keeping a ñatita in one’s home is considered by many people to provide a great benefit, since the dead are thought to have the ability to offer services to those still living. The skull can provide security for the home, ensure domestic tranquility, aid students in their schoolwork, and provide sage advice.