- DAY OF DEADS IN MEXICO

ESPAÑOL
The general concept of the celebration

The day of deads in Mexico ( Dia de los muertos) has very particular characteristics, and simultaneously it has diversity in itself depending on the region where this celebration is observed, because it is mainly this: a celebration and not only a commemoration as usually it assumes from other cultures. Although in Mexico as in other places in the world the celebration of the Halloween influences every year more and more the celebration of 1 and 2 of November, luckyly some traditions strongly rooted still being realized with a well conserved body of believes and practices in a blend of different traditions but mostly with elements taken from catholicism and from distinct prehispanic cultures.

In the general aspect, the mexican tradition marks the begining of november the first and november the second as the period while the celebration takes places, but there are certain exceptions. Also in this line, the first day celebration is aimed to the small deads, like chindren and the second day for adults.

As the result of the diversity of the mexican country composition, the celebration varies but most of time keeps certain elemements as a constant, for example, we can find always, the candies, many of them often with skeleton characteristics, skulls made with sugar by instance. Bread, there is actually a special and famous "pan de muertos", deads´bread, which has figures of bones in a bally form of a sweet bread like a big bun. Traditional food, flowers, speciall the one called "cempazuchitl", with all the possible variants in its name, it is a yellowish-orange colored flowers which only appears in this season of the year. Waxes, candles, drinks, tamales, singing, praying, these are some of the elements tha the observer can distiguish inthe tradition.

The celebration by states

Chiapas. In Chiapa de Corzo, the relatives are used to go to cementery to clean and fix up the tumbs as well to carry flowers and spend the day with their ancestors. In the sones of the "altos" which means the highlands, the celebration have more indian color, they mount "ofrendas" and prepare special meals.

Michoacan, in the Lake of Patzcuaro and in the island of Janitzio, as well as in the Zirahuen lake, also in Michoacan. In this cases the places rea become very turistical with the disadvantages this lead for the serious observer but still being an option to see the rituals about.

In Janitzio, the people goes to the holyfield n the first minutes of november the 1st to install "ofrendas", kind of installations with lot of magic and ordinary things to offer the souls who come to visit, food, drinks, flowers and they sing in "tarasco" a native language of the region.

In other part of the state of Michoacan, in the mazahua zone ( ethical name) happen something very beautiful and magic, the people have mixed with time the belief of the deads day and the arrival of millon of butterflies, the famous migrating "monarca", and then they, the folk of the place have taken them as messegers of divinity, offering to the winged travellers foods, singings and colorful things.

Morelos. In this state there are many small towns which make celebrations, but in particular there is a village called Totoloapan, wich has a peculiar way to celebrate. This place is located some 60 kilometers to the north-east of Cuernavaca the famous turistical place. There the celebration begins in october the 28th, where are received the deads which died in vilent circumstances, they called the day of the "killed", then the other two days of celebration are the 1 and 2 of nomvember, the first for children and the second one for adults.The day of "tianguis", special street market for food before to the celebrations, such market modifies its merchadise and offer lot of things adecuated for receiving dead relatives, so one can find waxes, "copal" which is a natural incense taken from trees resine, special breads, lot of fruts, flowers although in the ase of this town, they don`t use cempazuchitl but other types. The time to expect the arrival of dead relatives is between 12 and 3 in the morning, and at the nest day there are other activities which involve most of the town people.


Oaxaca, in diverse regions of Oaxaca are done celebrations, colorful ones, althou in this zones has the tradition to extend the "day of deads" untill about a week, so it is mucuh longer.

In the Mixe region ( ethnical name) peope are used to prepare food like "mole" a delicious mixation of seeds, chilis and chocolate and drink mezcal, spirit made with agave, similar to tequila but usually stronger and go to the tumbs to clean them and make crosses with ash on the ground.

Mexico City. Mixquic is probably the most famous place to visit in the capital city to observe the tradition of these days, but unfortunately in my last visits to the places, i could notice that the sales are destroying a big part of the rituals, now many things are aimed to get some money from turists. But well, anyway it is still an option to see some colorful thigs about it. It is suppoed, according with investigations, that atr least the tradition in Misquic has some 500 years old, but probably more. Anyway in the zone where Misquic is, Tlahuac, there are other villages with also interesting celebrations.

In the other hand, is very interesting visiting the markets like Jamaica, Merced, De las Flores, Sonora, the days before the celebration since they turn incredible colorful and lot of funny stuff, notwithstanding, be prepared to suffer from high traffic those days and don´t take valuable things with you since there are lot of thieves around. Anyway is possible going to take a look and enjoy.

Tabasco. Inside the chontal tradition ( ethnical name ) the celebration begins nine days before, with the elaboration of diverse meals and drinks, so everything starts with the preparation of the "guarapo" a brewed preparation made with chopped and toasted corn mixed with honey and water, the it is left to fermentate along the nine days. While, and in the second place, begins the preparation of the candies that are done with different materials like"camote" ( sweet potato) , cacao, roasted banana, pinol and yuca. Two "ofrendas" are organized, the first with the candies and "pozol" .. other corn drink, and the second with food and "guarapo".

Tlaxcala, There are interesting celebrations in towns like Ixtenco and Tepitzintla, where they cover tumbs with sand and flowers, although there are reporst that have been some modifications.

San Luis Potosi, it seems of great interest the celebration in the area of the Huasteca, where the arcs play an important role in the artifices of the celebration.

In the zone of "Huasteca" which extends to states of San luis Potosi, Veracruz and Hidalgo, the celebration is very interesting, it is called ""Xantolo", and it involves more elements like the recent harvest of corn so there are many reasons to be happy those days. Actually the preparation starts with the first "ofrendas" which can be installed as early as september 29th, day of San Miguel, and october the 18th day of San Lucas. The last day of october is prepare "white food" this is without chili and alcohol for the little deads, which is to say children who died. But at the noon of the first day of november starts the celebration of big deads where oen ca finds lot of meals, alcohol, and music, the bands of "guapango" or son of huasteca ( which are called "outside musicians" since there are "inside musicians" which play in the ceremonies inside the churche or other sacred places, this inside musicians play only wind music) play along all the time, until november the 3rd which is the "temporary" finishing, because some special dancers covered with masks and funny clothing and who have been dancing in the town streets along the celebration days, finally take off their masks showing their real personality in november the 29th in the final act of the celebration.

Hidalgo. like in the state of San Luis Potosi, the zone of the Huasteca seems to offer interesting scenes of the celebration.

Yucatan. Se celebra el "Hanal Pixan" que es la comida de los muertos, no se trata solamente de una comida, si no que esta se converte en el eje de la celebracion a la visita de los ancestros. Esta tradicion esta profunadamente arraigada en la cultura rural y aun en la de algunas ciudades.

More about day of deads in Mexico

In the year 2003 the celebration of deads in Mexico was names Inmaterial patrimony of humanity by UNESCO, this is very important to try to preserve the tradition of such a special practice.

Calaveras ( skulls)

Calaveras is the name for the verses which are composed in the days before, along and after the day of deads, they are ironical verses about famous people usually although can be made for friends or family. Part of the origine of this tradition appears with the famous mexican angraver Guadalupe Posada, who made famous the graphic representation of bony personages, all those figures about people drawn like skeletons, int he same time that artis made "calaveras" written with sarcastic and ironical humor.

Papel picado ( figures of paper )

They represent usually skeleton figures which are designed on chine paper, that kind of paper which is very thin and colored, they are cut and then used as table covers, backgrounds for "ofrendas" or simply to decore certain places those days.

Entierritos ( little burials )

They are made for children mostly, as representations of funerals and burials containing widows, relatives, tumbs, crosses, etc, all the elements made with paper, ceramic, straws, etc. They are prepared in little paper strips.