It doesn’t take a swath of polls to tell us that most Mexicans have little belief that the nation’s fortunes will improve significantly under the stewardship of Enrique Peña Nieto, who takes the oath of office as president on Saturday.

The Maya of ancient Mexico believed time is cyclical; contrary to the hype surrounding their supposed prophecy of impending armageddon, many historians believe that December 2012 simply marks the end of one cycle in the Mayan calendar and the beginning of another.

Instead of contemplating the mysteries of the great beyond with a solemn face and a heavy heart, Mexico stages a lavish fiesta on the Day of the Dead embracing death with a smile, bravado and a healthy dose of irony. You won’t find trick or treaters, witches, goblins or Halloween candy on El Dia de los Muertos. But there are chocolate coated candy skulls, clickety-clackety skeletons dangling on sticks, bread baked in the shape of bones and cardboard coffins that open to reveal a skeleton at a pull of a string.

They share a well-documented uncomfortable relationship but former U.S. President Bill Clinton nonetheless gave a wholesale endorsement of the policies of Barack Obama at this week’s National Democratic Convention.  Out of office for almost 12 years, Clinton showed that he has lost none of his persuasive powers and confirmed again that the stock of ex-chief executives often rises once the White House has been vacated.

When information that might be prudent for others to have is purposely withheld in Mexican law enforcement circles, the results can be disquieting.