Dia de los Muertos – Mexico Travel
Last year, we celebrated our first Dead of the Dead in Mexico.
Do you know what the holiday is all about? I’ll start with a quick primer just in case…
The Day of the Dead holiday (Diá de los Muertos) begins on Oct 28—though altars and decorations appear days before that—and lasts through Nov 2. It’s a colorful, joyous blend of Catholic and Aztec traditions.
Children and infants who have died are honored on Nov 1st, which corresponds to All Saints Day and is known as Día de los Inocentes (“Day of the Innocents”) or Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the Little Angels”). Deceased adults are honored on the 2nd, which corresponds to All Souls Day and is known as Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos (“Day of the Dead”).
Mexicans traditionally spend a lively day or two at the cemetery, where they reunite and celebrate with the souls of dead loved ones. Graves are adorned with flowers, votive candles, and lanterns. Friends and family lay out commemorative offerings including food, calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls), tequila or other liquor (for adult’s souls), toys (for children’s souls), photos and personal mementos. Festive music makes it a real party.
Mark, Scout and I opted not to gawk in the cemeteries (sometimes that’s welcome, other times not). Instead, on the evening of November 2, we headed to the village of Ajijic to watch a torchlight parade we’d read about in the local paper. We hoped to find a colorful, neighborhood celebration but weren’t sure what, if anything, to expect.
We got really lucky. I’m so relieved we didn’t bother driving to Guadalajara or going farther afield in search of “local color”…which we almost did.
Torchlight Parade
The torchlight parade, or comparsa, was brief but spectacular. It came and went in less than 30 minutes, but was the best, most memorable parade I’ve seen in my entire life.
Most of the procession had passed by before I even remembered to take out my camera. Imagine dozens of hooded, skeleton-costumed figures on horseback, illuminated only by flickering torches.
Pickup trucks decorated with marigolds carried dead brides in wedding dresses, dancing skeletons and even a life-size skeletal bull ridden by La Muerte… death.
I saw surprisingly few expats. But plenty of Mexican families were crammed onto the narrow, uneven sidewalks, their faces reflecting the flickering torchlight. Vaqueros enjoyed the scene from horseback. Noisy firecrackers, intended to summon the spirits, exploded unseen in all directions and made us jump.
Ajijic Square
After the parade passed by, we headed for Ajijic’s main square.
It was a happening scene, packed with people, many wearing elaborate skull-shaped masks or face paint.
The costumes were stunning, especially the face paint. Everyone started with a the same canvas: a whitened face. But from there each face was transformed into a unique work of art.
Some people darkened their eye and nose sockets. Others used sequins or costume jewels to create intricate and colorful details on their faces. Common designs were petals around the eye sockets, spider webs on the forehead, stitches around the mouth, and hearts and flowers in what little space was left.
Memorials “painted” with colored sawdust decorated the streets; candles in paper lanterns illuminated the sidewalks.
Dia de los Muertos Altars
Memorial altars lined the perimeter of the square. Some were simple affairs, nothing more than a photograph, a name, a few votive candles, and some flowers or fruit.
But others were elaborate recreations of entire lives.
One celebrated a musician named Victor Manuel Medeles Romero. A video screen flashed photos from throughout his life. The props around the altar brought him to life… his accordion, his suit, his shaving and wash stand, a table set with favorite foods, wine, tequila, books, skeleton dolls (catrinas), more clothes, mementos, fresh flowers (particularly marigolds), etc.
Some altars were for family members who seemed to have passed away many years before. Others were as recent as 6 months ago. But the thing that really struck me was that this was not a creepy or sad event. These people were genuinely celebrating those who had died. Maybe it is part of their healing process to mourn this way.
And those who didn’t create an altar in the town, like those who had loved ones lost along the main highway (carretera), they replaced the old tattered and faded road-side crosses with new ones and sat next to them for most of the day. I’ve read that some people will spend the night by their altars or in the cemeteries or even leave pillows and blankets out for their deceased loved ones to rest on. VERY different than anything we’ve ever experienced, to say the least.
All in all, it was an interesting night, although I don’t think the kids cared for it much. The highlight for them was seeing the blue eyed horse and the biggest disappointment was seeing that the churros vendor was closed! I wish we had gone to Ajijic for their parade, but whenever you travel, you can’t do it all. At least we can say we did something!
It was a fascinating glimpse into another life, another time.
For dinner, the usual. Street tacos, a couple of cervesas, and for Scout, ice cream afterward.
This was one of the most memorable, uplifting celebrations I’ve been to in my life. We can’t wait to do it again next year.
