MEXICO CITY (AP) — Pets are not forgotten during the famous Mexico Day of the Dead celebrationswhen even Fido and Tiger are given a place at the altars that Mexican families have set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs.

Although the human dead usually put their favorite food or drink on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different.

The holiday has roots in pre-Hispanic Mexican customs, as does reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs which the Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help their owners to the afterlife and were sometimes given special burials.

But the inclusion of pets on family altars has increased in recent years.

The Day of the Dead begins on October 31, to remember those people who died in accidents; continue November 1 to mark those who died as children and then November 2 for those who died as adults.

Observations include whole families cleaning and decorating the graves, which are covered with orange marigolds. Both at cemeteries and at home altars, relatives light candles, make offerings of the deceased relatives’ favorite foods and drinks.

The presence of pets has gained so much traction that October 27 is now considered Pet Day of the Dead, and the National Institute of Anthropology and History includes tips on its social platforms about how to include them in shrines.

Mexico City graphic designer Meztli Lizaola makes sure every year that her beloved Chihuahua, Taco, who died two years ago, has a place at the altar on a table in the corner of her living room.

Taco’s ashes are there in an urn, as is his bright-eyed photo next to a photo of Lizaola’s deceased father.

Cempasúchil with orange flowers – a type of marigold – is placed around the photos, as well as candles and skull figurines.

Taco was an omnivorous eater and, as the name suggests, enjoyed tacos (especially roast pork) and other traditional Mexican food such as quesadillas and concha pastries.

But because she has four other dogs, she can’t leave Taco’s favorite foods on the altar; it is possible to be plucked by a masked puppy.

For years, elements of Halloween have blended into seasonal festivities, and pets are no different. For those who still have living dogs and cats, it’s not uncommon to find a wide variety of pet Halloween costumes at pet stores, including inmate-style “bad dog” costumes.

Ethnohistorian Juan Pablo García Urióstegui says the inclusion of pets and Halloween influences are part of changes to the traditional holiday that have accelerated, especially in the last three years,

“We are sending changes in traditions. It happens very quickly,” said García Urióstegui, of Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology. Now it’s not uncommon to find pets on airplanes, in bars and restaurants, or even at their owners’ medical appointments.

On the one hand, especially in big cities, the large family with many children is often a thing of the past, and couples who only have pets – nicknamed “perrihijos” or “dog children” – are now not uncommon.

“That’s where you see these death practices start to take hold,” he said. “They are no longer just another companion… they are living beings who hold memories and whose memory must be commemorated.”

But admiration for the dogs runs deep in Mexico, where hairless dogs known as xoloitzcuintles were common before the Spanish brought their larger, furrier dogs to Mexico during the 1519-1521 conquest.

Pre-Hispanic dogs were often sacrificed or buried next to their owners – or represented as carefully crafted ceramic figurines – because the owner needed the dogs’ keen senses to find their way to the underworld after death.

Lizaola still feels Taco’s absence. His face is tattooed on her right arm. The dog changed her life and her partner’s.

“There’s a before and an after in my life,” she said, noting that Taco inspired her to become more involved in helping abandoned animals and rescuing street dogs.

Initially, there was some resistance in her family to including Taco on the altar, a place long reserved for deceased family members. But as relatives’ pets died, they came and “now there are more dogs than people,” she said.