However, one segment of the population gravediggers, embalmers, medical professors and forensic doctors works with death year round.

Israel Cancino has been a gravedigger in the public Dolores cemetery for 30 years, and for three years he has overseen the common graves. His predecessor retired a few years ago, and nobody else would take the job. "To tell the truth, not just anyone will do this work ? the grave smells bad and the air is contaminated ? but I got talked into it," he said.

Cancino arrives at work at 7 a.m. and enters the common grave chamber to make sure the area is clean. Although he officially has weekends off, on Saturdays his presence is required to receive the weekly shipment of bodies that couldn't be identified at the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo). "I receive the bodies, cover them, and leave," he said.

Cancino admits that at first his unusual profession was difficult, and he thought about quitting because he felt bad seeing the mourners suffer. But over time, he said, one grows accustomed to it. Now he says he has no plans to leave the job. "They'll have to carry me out of here ?. actually, they'll have to carry me in."

Three times a year, Dolores cemetery on Constituyentes Ave. receives the incinerated remains of around 30 bodies from the school of medicine at the National Autonomous University (UNAM). The National Polytechnical Institute (IPN) also sends around 50 bodies yearly that have been used for research purposes.

FORENSIC MEDICINE

Semefo in Mexico City has 189 staff people, including toxicologists, anthropologists, dentists, psychiatrists, photographers, maintenance workers and 53 forensic doctors. According to the agency's statistics, between 2000 and 2004, it handled 27,876 bodies while providing forensic training to 43,890 doctors and experts.

Dr. Armando Luna Rosas, a director at Semefo, explained that forensic medicine requires a high degree of training since professionals must apply multiple areas of medical study.

With 27 years of experience under his belt, Luna Rosas said, "Here we use every piece of knowledge that a doctor learns in his lifetime. It is very exciting work. A scientist will use his breadth of medical training, but he'll apply criminal law too."

Luna Rosas is also a professor of forensic medicine at UNAM and IPN. He started at Semefo doing hand surgeries and was invited to come aboard. "The first three days were awful, I felt anxious and depressed. But with time, I adapted and learned to disconnect after leaving work," he said.

Contrary to public perceptions, Luna Rosas said that forensic scientists are not cold, but rather they become sensitive, prudent, and measured after seeing so many cases of death caused by irresponsible behavior, such as excessive drinking or speeding.

"Part of the training we give to our students is that you can't take cases home with you," he said. "When a family member arrives to identify a body, we are all impacted by their tears and loss. You have to learn to let go of that moment, but you definitely feel it."

THE PROFESSOR

When Dr. Natalio González began his job, his wife constantly complained that he smelled of death. However, after 29 years working as a forensic doctor and professor at the UNAM School of Medicine, both he and his wife have grown accustomed to it.

As a student, he said he visited the anatomy classrooms "to get used to the smell. When I took the class, I couldn't eat meat for about three months. When I cleaned my first cadavers, I felt sick," he recalls.

González plans to retire next year. He wants to learn to play guitar and will relax after years of stress on the job.

THE MORTICIAN

Enrique Bautista's job is to make death look good. "The goal is to make the deceased attractive so the family sees the person as he or she was," the mortician said.

At age 35, Bautista has been working as an embalmer for three years. He was studying agricultural engineering and got a part time job at a friend's funeral parlor to help pay for school. The side job became his full-time profession.

The tools of his trade include chemicals imported from the United States for preservation, disinfectants, face cream, hair spray, dissection equipment, and make-up.

RESPECT FOR LIFE

These four men all agree that working in the presence of death has made them more sensitive and cautious, having witnessed the consequences of rash behavior. Their work has also imparted a great respect for life since they are constantly reminded that death is inevitable and could come at any moment.