Dia de los muertos

Our traditional extended field trip to Chiapas took place this semester over Dia de los muertos. Prior to leaving Merida, we created our own altar (second photo) following a wonderful presentation by a woman who specializes in community museums. She began her presentation by explaining that Mexicans feel death is a natural part of life and should thereby be celebrated. She then discussed the importance of each item that is normally placed on an altar: colored candles for children, black and white candles for adults, toys for children to play with, a native dress for the visiting soul to slip into while visiting, an invigorating refreshment such as tequila, a warm drink such as hot chocolate and food such as tamales, bread, sugar cane and sweets. Burning incense lets the dead know it is time to visit. Flowers welcome them.

This year, the women who work in the Central House placed a photo of Dona Alejandra, (the staff member who died in the house in June, 2008.) Her photo was not present last year because a person must be dead for at least a year before he or she is honored on an altar. The belief is that it takes at least a year for a soul to become comfortable in his/her new world. It is inappropriate to place photos of living souls on the altar. The photo directly below is of an altar in one of the hotels in which we stayed.

Another important part of Dia de los muertos involves a visit to the graves of family members. Out of respect, none of us took photos of families at the grave sites who were cleaning, painting, repairing and decorating the graves of their family members. We visited the main cemetery of the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, a city of about 80,000 inhabitants on Saturday afternoon, October 31. There were thousands of people in the cemetery including families, musicians, and food vendors. Outside the main gates, it was possible to buy beautiful flowers, food, and even beer. In some parts of Mexico, families remain at the grave sites throughout the night, but in this area, only a few families still follow this tradition according to people we spoke with. Nevertheless, many of the grave sites include benches where family members take time to sit, talk, tell stories and share a meal with their dead. We were all overwhelmed by the activity, colors, smells, family gatherings and flowers. Pictured below is a grave covered with pine needles which represents a cleansing. Marigolds are the traditional Day of the Dead flowers. The cross on the grave below is made of marigold petals.