Category Archives: Riviera Maya

Day of the Dead, otherwise known as Día de los Muertos, is rather deceptively not a one-day, but a multi-day holiday celebrated annually in Mexico on the first two days of November. Principally a celebration of both life and death in which families commemorate their deceased loved ones, it finds its roots in Mesoamerican culture, although its popularity nowadays is widespread. Unsurprisingly, there are more than a few traditions and customs associated with this event.

Here’s one thing we know: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is NOT a Mexican version of Halloween.

Though related, the two annual events differ greatly in traditions and tone. Whereas Halloween is a dark night of terror and mischief, Day of the Dead festivities unfold over two days in an explosion of color and life-affirming joy. Sure, the theme is death, but the point is to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members. In towns and cities throughout Mexico, revelers don funky makeup and costumes, hold parades and parties, sing, and dance, and make offerings to lost loved ones.

Here are ten facts you must know about Día de los Muertos:

RECOGNITION BY UNESCO

Thanks to efforts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, the term “cultural heritage” is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It also includes living expressions of culture—traditions—passed down from generation to generation. In 2008, UNESCO recognized the importance of Día de los Muertos by adding the holiday to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Today Mexicans from all religious and ethnic backgrounds celebrate Día de los Muertos, but at its core, the holiday is a reaffirmation of indigenous life.

HISTORY

Day of the Dead originated several thousand years ago with the Aztec, Toltec, and other Nahua people, who considered mourning the dead disrespectful. For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a natural phase in life’s long continuum. The dead were still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit—and during Día de los Muertos, they temporarily returned to Earth. Today’s Día de los Muertos celebration is a mash-up of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Christian feasts. It takes place on November 1 and 2—All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on the Catholic calendar—around the time of the fall maize harvest.

HOLDING GRAVESIDE VIGILS

Although many opt to stay at home on the night of November 1 and the early hours of November 2, holding graveside vigils is still common in many Mexican communities and is most definitely one of this celebration’s most iconic rituals. One area in which this trend still thrives is Pátzcuaro, Michoacán; on November 2, residents (along with throngs of curious tourists) take boats colloquially known as mariposas (butterflies) to Isla de Janitzio, where they honor their dead in the island’s cemeteries.

GRAVE CLEANING AND DECORATING

Even though not all families choose to honor their loved ones at the graveyard itself, the tradition of cleaning the grave is still respected by most. This task usually includes tidying the area surrounding the headstone but being sure to leave behind the aforementioned cempasúchil flowers. A complete altar is often constructed there, too. Graveyards during the Day of the Dead celebrations, contrary to what you might expect, actually take on the atmosphere of (surprisingly festive) social gatherings.

ALTARS

The centerpiece of the celebration is an altar, or ofrenda, built in private homes and cemeteries. These aren’t altars for worshipping; rather, they’re meant to welcome spirits back to the realm of the living. As such, they’re loaded with offerings—water to quench thirst after the long journey, food, family photos, and a candle for each dead relative. If one of the spirits is a child, you might find small toys on the altar. Marigolds are the main flowers used to decorate the altar. Scattered from altar to gravesite, marigold petals guide wandering souls back to their place of rest. The smoke from copal incense, made from tree resin, transmits praise and prayers, and purifies the area around the altar.

CREATION OR PURCHASE OF SUGAR SKULLS 

The term ‘sugar skull’ actually comes from Day of the Dead festivities and is perhaps the most globally emblematic symbol of both the festivities and Mexico in general. Sugar skulls are either bought or made by families to add to their altar, and the name of the deceased is often written in icing on the forehead. In addition to the traditional sugar versions, you can also get chocolate and biscuit ‘sugar skulls’ during this period.

EATING PAN DE MUERTO

Another common tradition during the Day of the Dead period is the consumption of the so-called pan de muerto. Thankfully, this is not bread made of dead people, no matter what the name might lead you to think. It’s actually lightly orange-flavored sweet bread, which has ‘bonelike’ decorations atop it and a healthy coating of sugar.

LITERARY CALAVERAS

Calavera means “skull.” But during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, calavera was used to describe short, humorous poems, which were often sarcastic tombstone epitaphs published in newspapers that poked fun at the living. These literary calaveras eventually became a popular part of Día de los Muertos celebrations. Today the practice is alive and well. You’ll find these clever, biting poems in print, read aloud, and broadcast on television and radio programs.

COSTUMES

Day of the Dead is an extremely social holiday that spills into streets and public squares at all hours of the day and night. Dressing up as skeletons is part of the fun. People of all ages have their faces artfully painted to resemble skulls, and, mimicking the calavera Catrina, they don suits and fancy dresses. Many revelers wear shells or other noisemakers to ramp up the excitement—and also possibly to rouse the dead and keep them close during the fun.

TAKING PART IN THE CATRINA PARADE

Even though this custom more or less only applies to Mexico City—although other locations will probably hold their own, albeit less grand, version—it is worth a mention. Each year, hundreds of people dress up as Catrinas and descend on the zócalo to take part in the Catrina parade. Attendees paint their faces in the typical style of the Catrina skull, complete with colorful accents around the eyes and cheeks, and dress in outfits appropriate for the occasion.

Countless communities in Mexico celebrate Day of the Dead, but styles and customs differ by region, depending on the region’s predominant pre-Hispanic culture. 

SOURCES:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/top-ten-day-of-dead-mexico

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/day-of-the-dead-in-mexico-10-traditions-customs/

Pedro Linares Lopez (29 June 1906 – 25 January 1992)

The first alebrijes, as well as the name itself, are attributed to Pedro Linares, an artisan from México City (Distrito Federal), who specialized in making piñatas, carnival masks and “Judas” figures from cartonería (a kind of papier-mâché). He sold his work in markets such as the one in La Merced.

The art form of alebrijes was created by Pedro Linares after he became ill at 30 years old. While he was in bed, unconscious, Linares dream of a strange place resembling a forest. There were trees, animals, clouds, sky, rocks, etc.; he felt no pain and was very happy walking down there. Suddenly, rocks, clouds and animals turned into bizarre creatures; he saw a donkey with butterfly wings, a rooster with bullhorns, a lion with an eagle head, and were shouting the word: “Alebrijes.” Every animal was shouting louder and louder: “Alebrijes, Alebrijes, Alebrijes!”.

The sound was terrible, and Linares was not able to stay there for long. He got a terrible headache and ran along a stone road where a man was walking. Linares asked the man for help as he wanted to escape. The man told him that he should not be here yet, and said that Linares had to walk by that road a few meters ahead for the exit. Linares ran until he was in front of a narrow window, passed through that window, and then woke up.

After he recovered, Linares gave life to his vision and the art of making alebrijes was born. He wanted his family and everyone to know about the animals he saw by taking a piece of paper and molding the figurines from his memory, then painting them as he saw them in his dream.

The first Alebrijes, as well as the name itself originated in Mexico City in1936. 

When he began using paper and cardboard to craft large, vivid, ethereal creatures that no one had ever seen before, he caught the attention of a prominent gallery owner who marketed the pieces. This garnered so much recognition for Linares’ work, that Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo began commissioning alebrijes by Linares. Alebrijes became celebrated throughout Mexico and abroad. Thus, Linares was equipped to take a folk art tradition in a new direction.

Linares returned home to his native Arrazola in Oaxaca. He shared his designs with artisans in his village. A man named Manuel Jimenez was the first to create the brightly colored creatures out of copal wood instead of papier-mâché. Jimenez incorporated Linares’ visions into the pre-Hispanic woodcarving tradition that already existed among the indigenous Zapotec culture of that area.

Descendants of Pedro Linares as well as Manuel Jimenez’s family continue to carve and paint various alebrijes to this day. Other artists have also taken the craft upon themselves to create their own versions of the stylized animal figures. Entire families and villages have dedicated themselves to honoring their woodcarving skills. They elevated the craft to a fine art that is prized around the world and built a unique economy based on artistic supply and demand.

Linares received Mexico’s National Arts and Sciences Award in the Popular Arts and Traditions category in 1990, two years before he died.  This inspired other alebrijes artists, and Linares’ work became prized both in Mexico and abroad. Rivera said that no one else could have fashioned the strange figures he requested; work done by Linares for Rivera is now displayed at the Anahuacalli Museum in Mexico City

The descendants of Pedro Linares, many of whom live in Mexico City near the Sonora Market, carry on the tradition of making alebrijes and other figures from cardboard and papier-mâché. Their customers have included the Rolling Stones and David Copperfield. The Stones gave the family tickets to their show.

A more recent phenomenon, the annual Monumental Alebrije Parade, has been sponsored by the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City since 2007. The 2009 parade featured more than 130 giant alebrijes made of wood, cardboard, paper, wire and other materials, and marched from the Zocalo in the historic center of the city to the Angel of Independence monument on Paseo de la Reforma.

At the end of the parade, the pieces are lined up on Paseo de la Reforma for judging and displayed for two weeks.  

In addition to the annual parade, the Museum has sponsored alebrije shows such as the three-meter tall alebrije which captured attention at the Feria International del Libro in Bogotá. The word “alebrije” was not known in Colombia, so the locals dubbed it a “dragoncito” (little dragon). Along with “dragoncito” 150 other, smaller pieces of Mexican crafts were shown.