Regreso de la muerte.

• Position: Celebraci

Mexican poet Octavio Paz famously claimed that the day of the dead celebration is a defining trait for his countrymen. In recent years, the elaborate altars to the dead, picnicking at family grave sites and candlelight vigils during the Nov. 2 observance have been losing ground to Halloween hype. But now, tradition is making a comeback and its promoters hail from North of the border.

Mexican-Americans and others are pushing a revival. Los Angeles, the bellwether for American culture, has taken to the...