In the Mexican capital, death is intellectualized in museums and galleries, it dresses up for a night gala in five stars hotels, and yet easily maintains it’s provincial air in humble neighborhoods.

Because of the extension of the City, one must visit the Capital for at least two continuous years during the season of Day of the Dead, to have a more profound vision of the changes that take place in it’s inhabitants when they start preparing to celebrate this tradition, so closely tied to the soul of Mexicans.

To be born and to die is one of the dualities faced by human beings and everything that exists. This duality is the key to the Mexican idiosyncrasy, manifested in the pre-Cortez epoch and routed among the centuries in a mix of pre-Hispanic and religious beliefs, of humor and mysticism, of sadness and joy.

Like the small towns of the provinces, the majority of the residents in Mexico City prepare with anticipation to celebrate with dignity the return of the souls of the dead.In the Capital the offerings are placed in museums and galleries entrusting the work to artists that interpret different subjects or motives, in creating truly artistic designs to later expose them to an array of aromas and colors in which the flower of the season – the cempasuchitl – is the prevailing one.

It is difficult to calculate the amount of craftsmanship that is sold at different prices in Mexico City; this shows that the industry that generates the Day of the Dead is one of the most important affecting the year’s economy of the city, and at the same time demonstrates that this tradition is more alive than ever.

In what corresponds to the festive activity, besides eating the chocolate and sugar skeletons with one’s name on it, children, even adults buy toys with images of an enthusiastic skeleton made of paper mache, and jointed skeletons which dance when you pull on a string. Very few stay away from the funeral procession consisting of paper dolls with heads made of garbanzo, which move by the means of a thread, making the head come out of the coffin. The craftsman takes advantage of the opportunity to write special messages on the coffin.

Names of the members of the Linares family represent with their work what the Day of the Dead is in Mexico. The paper mache skeletons which they exhibit annually are a tradition already established in October and November of each year.

From the bilingual book “Through the Eyes of the Soul Day of the Dead In Mexico - Mexico City, Mixquic and Morelos”. For information of books about this tradition, written by Mary J. Andrade, visit www.dayofthedead.com

En la capital mexicana la muerte se intelectualiza en museos y galerías, se viste de gala en hoteles de cinco estrellas y conserva su aire provinciano en los barrios populares.

Por su extensión hay que visitar la capital por lo menos durante dos años seguidos en temporada de muertos, para tener una visión más profunda de los cambios que se operan en las costumbres de sus habitantes, al celebrar esta tradición tan arraigada en el alma del mexicano.

Nacer y morir es una de las dualidades del ser humano y de todo lo que existe. Esta dualidad es la clave de la idiosincracia mexicana, manifestada en la época pre-cortesiana y arraigada a través de los siglos en una mezcla de creencias rehispánicas y religiosas, de humorismo y misticismo, de tristeza y alegría.

Al igual que en la provincia, en la gran Ciudad de México la mayoría se prepara con anticipación para celebrar dignamente la fiesta de sus muertos.En la capital la ofrenda se pone también en museos y galerías, realizándose diseños verdaderamente artísticos, encargando la obra a artistas que interpretan diferentes temas o motivos, para luego exponerlos en profusión de aromas y colores, en las que domina, como flor de temporada el cempasúchitl.

En lo que corresponde a la actividad festiva, aparte de comerse la calaverita de chocolate o azúcar con su nombre, tanto los adultos como los niños compran juguetes con imágenes de la calaca alborotadora, hechas de papel maché, o esqueletos articulados que bailan al jalar un hilo, sin pasar por alto los cortejos fúnebres hechos de muñecos de papel con cabeza de garbanzo, que se mueven por medio de una manivela, haciendo que salga la cabeza del ataud.

Los artesanos aprovechan la oportunidad de escribir mensajes en la cajita.

Miembros de la familia Linares, artesanos con reconocimiento internacional, representan con su trabajo lo que es el Día de los Muertos en la Ciudad de México. Las calacas de papel maché que ellos exponen anualmente son una tradición ya establecida en esta fecha.

Tomado del libro bilingüe “A Través de los Ojos del Alma, Día de los Muertos Pasión en México - Ciudad de México, Mixquic y Morelos”. Para información de libros sobre esta tradición, de la autora Mary J. Andrade, visite los portales www.diadelosmuertos.com o www.dayofthedead.com

Part One

It is a pleasure to let oneself travel down the paths that open up before one’s gaze, especially those that lead to the villages that are found bordering Uruapan. A few kilometers outside of this city, the second most important in the state of Michoacan, the P’urhepecha plateau, covered with avocado trees and corn, and surrounded by a mountain chain, presents a landscape that opens up into plains.The plateau population seems to be frozen in time, and reaching them represents the clear possibility of discovering cultural treasures, that the settlers (trustees) watch over with special care.

Uruapan is the doorway to the P’urhepecha plateau, a region where old villages are situated. These beautiful handcrafts reflect, through their tonalities, the cosmovision of their inhabitants and their intimate relationship with the colors that nature provides.

The difference of the celebration between the lake area and the plateau is very pronounced.

According to Luis Daniel Benites Perez, from the Cultural Development Office of the City of Uruapan, it is confirmed that the indigenous communities that speak Purepecha are the ones that maintain the belief that the souls will arrive during the celebration of Jimbankua, or newly deceased. It is fundamental for its inhabitants to celebrate their dead. It is about a spiritual commitment, similar to the celebration they are accustomed to making in honor of a saint, during the local holidays. (more…)