Preparations for the sombre Day of the Dead celebrations have begun in Mexico City.

The commemoration of the dead, which combines pre-Columbian Aztec and Mayan rituals with Catholic rites, have begun in the old historical centre of Mexico City with a sporting ceremony by a replica of the Aztec Chichenitza wall.

Every year, Zocalo Square displays a spectacular offering trying to rescue the traditions of this significant date.

Altars are displayed along the entire plaza remembering famous Mexican artists who have passed away or commemorating special moments of the city's history.

This year, an offering remembered the 1968 Olympic Games hosted by Mexico City, with representations of skeletons swimming in a pool or making gymnastic routines.

The Day of the Dead festival has its origins in a pre-Hispanic Aztec belief that the dead return to Earth one day each year to visit their loved ones.

Observers appreciated the the traditional nature of the holiday.

"They seem very nice to me because they demonstrate what Day of the Dead means to us. And in a small way they remind us of what our traditions are - the difference between what has been accumulated little by little such as foreign elements and what are truly our roots," ceremony observer Veronica Hernandez said.

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.