With the aid of a headlamp, a soft natural-bristle brush, and a special HEPA‑filter vacuum meant for delicate objects, Tara Russo performs the fine cleaning of a ceramic Day of the Dead procession from the Acatlán town set. Girard covered the highly decorated base so it would not be visible. Discoveries such as these illustrate the deliberate decisions he made about each display. Perhaps he thought the base was too distracting, or perhaps he covered the base with sand to make the figures appear more animated.