Dia de los Muertos, a tradition both solemn and hilarious

Skulls and white candles are traditional elements of Dia de los Muertos. Each November 2, Mexico celebrates its unique Day of the Dead fiesta. Although the day falls just after Halloween, it has no connection to that rather empty and highly commercialized north-of-the-border event. Unfortunately, the current pandemic has caused the cancellation of most of this year's traditional fiesta activities--particularly those involving large groups. However, an elaborate Dia de los Muertos altar recently appeared on the corner of Calle Galleana and Calle Venustiano Carranza, near my home in Ajijic. 

My encounter with the altar inspired this posting. The fiesta has some solemn elements, but mostly it is a wildly colorful and decidedly hilarious event. I hope this lightens up the grimness of these times for members of my blog audience. The first section of this posting will focus on the altar that my Mexican neighbors erected in the last few days. The remainder of the photos will show some of the activities of the 2019 fiesta. These earlier photos have never before been published.

Altar in my neighborhood

My neighborhood's altar contains most of the traditional elements. The first thing I noticed was the large group of photographs taped to the stone wall on either side of the cross. These are the images of family members who have passed away, either recently or some time ago. The large number of photos indicates that this was truly a neighborhood project, rather than one created solely by an individual family. 

Although there is a cross at the top, a great many features of the altar--as well as the Day of the Dead itself--have their origins in ancient pre-hispanic religious beliefs. For example, the pyramidal, three-step altar itself is a structure with antecedents dating back as far as 1500 BC. 

 

A few of the 20+ photos appearing on the wall and on the altar's steps. The people pictured are of all ages, from elderly to relatively young. I was particularly struck by the woman shown in the lower right. She is older and, like many women of her age, she wears a traditional rebozo (shawl) draped over her head and shoulders. Oddly, she hides her face behind a piece of the rebozo, as if embarrassed to be photographed. 

To her left is a man of middle age, sporting a mustache and wearing a white cowboy hat and a plaid shirt. In his dress and general appearance, he closely resembles hundreds of rural men I have encountered in my travels around Mexico. In the upper left is a photo of a young man, possibly a teenager. It is sad to think that one so young should appear above this altar. All these people were obviously loved by families who want to preserve their memories.

On top of the altar, just below the cross, is a colorful catrina. This is one element of the overall altar that does not have ancient roots. Catrinas were the invention of a 19th century political cartoonist named Guadalupe Posada. He created thousands of drawings and engravings of skeletal figures. He used the figures to lampoon the pretensions of the newly-rich upper classes who prospered under the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz, while the vast majority of Mexico's population remained desperately poor. 

Catrinas fell out of favor for a while after Posada died. However, they became popular again in the 1930s and remain so today. Over time, catrinas have gradually become associated with the Day of the Dead, but the only real connection between the two are the images of skeletons. The fiesta pre-dates catrinas by centuries, if not millennia. 

This little fellow reminded me of the Disney cartoon character Pluto the Dog. Made of paper mache, he looks to have imbibed more than his share of tequila. Dogs in general can be pretty goofy, but Mexican dogs seem to have that quality in abundance. His presence on the altar may indicate that one of the people pictured had a similar dog. Alternatively, he may represent a much-loved but now deceased dog, who once could be found lounging on the front stoop of his master. Behind the pooch is one of several cardboard guitars, an indication that one of the dearly departed was a musician.

Sugar skull, decorated with blue frosting and red flowers. Sugar skulls are another traditional feature of these altars. The skulls are made from granulated sugar that is pressed into molds. They represent the souls of the dead and some have a name written in frosting on the forehead, although this one does not. 

The sugar skulls originated in the 17th century when Italian missionaries arrived in Mexico. The indigenous people wanted to create decorations for the Day of the Dead, but had very little money. One thing they did have was lots of sugar, since sugar cane was grown and processed all over Mexico. The Italians showed them how to make skull molds and the little skulls soon became widely used on Day of the Dead altars. The skulls are often decorated with feathers, foil or other inedible items and are not necessarily created for human consumption. 

This small vignette was arranged on the middle step of the altar. The photo shows a pretty young woman, probably in her teens or early 20s. The smaller photo slipped into the corner of the frame may be her mother, or possibly an older sister. Several traditional items surround the pictures. The white candle helps guide the visiting spirit to the altar. The tiny skull to the right of the candle represents the soul of a child. The cup on the right may represent the favorite beverage of the person in the photo. It has been placed there to provide refreshment after her long journey home from the spirit world. Behind the candle is a marigold flower, which pre-hispanic people considered to be a symbol of death. 

On one side of the altar, a soap bar and pan of water stand in front of a mirror. Since the altar is about welcoming home visiting spirits, it is assumed that they will want to clean up after such a long journey. Such hospitality is considered a social requirement in Mexico. 

Ajijic's Panteon

A highly decorated gravesite at Ajijic's Panteon. In Ajijic, the Dia de los Muertos activities start at the Panteon (community graveyard). When we moved to Mexico and attended our first Day of the Dead event, we assumed the mood at the cemetery would be solemn and were somewhat concerned about intruding. To our surprise, we found a full-on party, with mariachi music, dancing, food. The participants often invited us to share a cold beer or shots of tequila. Now this was a fiesta I could get behind!

An elderly woman rests quietly beside a grave decorated with the Virgin of Guadalupe. Erupting all around her were laughter, music from multiple bands (all playing different songs) and general chaos. Her solemnity was so out of place that I had to take her photo. Similar to New Orleans, graves in Mexico are often elaborate above-ground structures.

A mother applies face paint to her daughter. In previous centuries, people wore masks to these celebrations. However, the custom today is to use white and black makeup to create a skull face. On this base, flowers or other colorful images are painted. The only limit is the imagination of the person applying the paint. This painstaking process can take considerable time, depending on how elaborate the wearer wants it to be. 

Three young women show off their face paint. As it happened, they were posing as a friend photographed them. I just took advantage of the moment to grab a quick shot of my own and they didn't mind. I have found the Day of the Dead to be one of the easiest places to take "people shots." Not only is the mood festive, but everyone wants to show off their face paint or an unusual costume.

Sawdust street art on Calle Parroquia

Sawdust paintings filled Calle Parroquia, along the south side of Ajijic Plaza. Still another tradition of this fiesta is to create images in the street made from colored sawdust. Calle Parroquia contained eight or ten of these large creations. This one is dedicated to Mictlán, which was the Aztec underworld and the final destination for the dead. 

Some of the sawdust creations were sponsored by local businesses. Edith's Salon was responsible for this Dia de los Muertos participant made up with face paint. For all the work that goes into creating these images, they will all be gone in a few hours.

After dark in Chapala

A tall and fantastically costumed catrina stretches out a bony hand in greeting. Each community along the shore of Lake Chapala sponsors its own celebration. Usually we start at the Ajijic Panteon, follow the parade from there to the Ajijic Plaza, then head a few miles east to Chapala, which holds the biggest event on the lake's North Shore. 

The City of Chapala usually sets aside several blocks of its main street for Day of the Dead activities. These include scores of highly imaginative altars, a milling crowd of hundreds wearing costumes and face paint, and a big candle-lit parade. The festivities usually continue long after Carole and I finally head home.

Two members of the foreign community get into the spirit of the event. Most of the foreigners here are Canadians or Americans, but some are Europeans or Asians. Many attend the wide variety of fiestas held during the year and often become participants themselves. 

A young girl lights candles in front of one of the many altars along the street. The candles are arranged in the shape of a cross in the middle of a marigold-petal pathway ending at the altar. The cross is generally thought of as a Christian symbol. However, to pre-hispanic people it represented the Four Cardinal Directions, each dominated by a different one of of their many gods. The marigold path is intended to lead the spirits to the altar and the candles help light the way.

One of the participants in the Chapala parade paused to pose for me. Her flowered head dress forms a spectacular sunburst. There were many other amazing costumes, head dresses, and painted faces at this event, but I thought this pretty young woman was one of the best.

This completes my posting on the 2019 and 2020 Day of the Dead fiestas. I hope that it has brightened your day during these hard times. If you would like to leave any thoughts or questions, please use the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comment section, PLEASE include your email address so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim