Saying goodbye to a pet is no longer limited to the home: more and more cities are organizing altars, offerings, and spaces of remembrance where families and neighborhoods share photos, flowers, and candles to pay tribute to pets that are no longer with us.
Proposals have sprung up across the continent, with formats ranging from zoo exhibitions to neighborhood initiatives and themed events. They all share a common thread: to keep alive the emotional bond with animal companions and offer a common space for mourning and remembrance.
Altars and offerings: meaning and symbols
An altar is a traditional space where one honor those who have died with photographs, marigolds, candles, and objects that evoke their presence. In the case of pets, the offerings often include their collars, toys, or favorite treats, integrating the everyday memory with the ritual.
This practice is complemented by a date that has gained popularity: the October 27 It is dedicated to remembering deceased pets, although many families prefer to incorporate them into the altars of the first days of NovemberThe result is a tribute that combines tradition, local identity, and the affection that animals generate.
Trendsetting initiatives and events
En Mexicali (Baja California)The Zoo and Forest installed a mega altar which, according to the organization, is the largest in the city. The idea originated during the pandemic and, over time, focused on companion animals, eventually gathering nearly 15.000 visitors in its first year dedicated to petsThis year's exhibition is expected to feature up to 2.000 photographs of dogs, cats, rabbits, and even exotic species, in an installation that has required the work of about 30 people for three months, creating flowers and figures out of paper.
El Los Angeles Zoo It maintains its Beloved Pets Offering, open from October 4 to November 2. On weekends, from 10.00 to 17.00Educational staff help visitors complete the altar: they can Print photos from your mobile phone or draw portraits with materials provided by the center itself, which also supplies frames for decoration. The collaboration with the Plaza de la Raza Cultural Center and the folk artist America Madrigal-Herrera It reinforces the community and cultural focus of the proposal (Sea Life Cliffs, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles).
Inspiring actions are also emerging at the neighborhood level. Hoboken (New Jersey)A couple transformed the loss of their dog into a open-air altar open to the entire neighborhoodThe memorial features a felt-covered structure for hanging photos, planted marigolds for fresh flowers, and a central sculpture of an Italian greyhound as a symbol of remembrance. The initiative, based on Mexican tradition, has become a meeting point where neighbors leave pictures, toys, and messages.
En Heredia (Costa Rica)The OxÃgeno shopping center hosts the event from October 31st to November 2nd. Pet Expo, with a special tribute to the animals that have died through the Wall of MemoriesIn addition to talks, workshops, fashion shows and family shows, there will be adoption days in collaboration with local organizations. Among the scheduled activities are spaces for grief support—such as the Eternal Footprints workshop or the talk On the Other Side of the Rainbow—and a special tribute on the afternoon of November 1.
Memory also occupies a central place in Chile. The FIM Expo It will integrate for the first time an altar dedicated to pets in the Valles Unidos Cemetery (Quilicura)From October 31st to November 2nd. The program includes displays of funerary art, the Celestial Pets group, and religious ceremonies at 11:00 AM. two large altars on November 1st (one for people and one for animals), pottery and chest painting workshops, a commemorative concert at 15:00 p.m. and an Owner and Pet costume contest on the 2nd.
En Peru, the Municipality of Santiago de surco For the third consecutive year, a space was set up with candles, flowers, and photographs in the district's main square. Since 2023, October 27th has been the Day of Remembrance for Deceased Pets At the local level, the initiative includes animal blessings and memorial areas for leaving messages. The municipal program is complemented by animal protection services and a crematorium to provide dignified farewells.
How to participate in or replicate the experience
In most events, participation is open: just bring photographs and a meaningful memory (a necklace, toy, tag, or a note) to add to the altar. At the Los Angeles Zoo, for example, you can print images on the premises on weekends—from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.—or create portraits with the available materials, and the frames are decorated and placed on the offering.
Tributes with special programming—like those of Heredia y quilicura— They also offer family activities, talks on grief and responsible adoption. It's advisable to check the ceremony schedules. bring flowers and anticipate that some activities will see higher attendance in the afternoon. If it's a neighborhood event, a simple structure for hanging photos and a place to leave messages may suffice.
Cultural roots: from Mictlán to October 27
The relationship between humans and dogs has deep roots in Mesoamerica. In the Mexica worldview, the journey to Mictlan had the guidance of Xolotl and the xoloitzcuintle, an animal associated with the passage of souls. Among the Maya, iconography shows canoes crossing to the underworld, while in the Western cultures (Ortices, Comala and Colima) figurines of dogs were found in shaft tombs, a reflection of their role as companions in the passage.
Today, that tradition lives on in contemporary altars. Many families in Mexico have embraced the October 27 as a date to remember their animals. Recent stories show offerings with water, marigolds, incense, or personalized confettiand objects laden with meaning: from a bracelet chewed by an adopted dog, to the favorite treats of a companion with whom years of life were shared.
Mixed altars are also on the rise, displaying photos of dogs and cats that were once part of the same household. In some cases, preparations are underway. Day of the Dead bread, candles, and small chests with their names, with the idea that, before human beings, it is the animals who return first to the family offering.
The rise of these practices has reached squares and public spaces, with large floral installations and figures that recall the role of dogs in the tradition. Beyond the calendar, the objective is the same: turning memory into a shared act that eases the grief and celebrates the bond.
From institutional proposals in zoos to neighborhood initiatives and themed fairs, tributes to pets consolidate a culture of care and farewell which focuses on memory and affection. If you're thinking of participating, bring a photo, the object that best tells your story, and some flowers: the community will take care of the rest.
