Videos of Dia de los Muertos in Chiapas: Romerillo, San Juan Chamula, San Cristóbal de las Casas

Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos, Tenejapa, Chiapas

Dia de los Muertos in Chiapas was the topic of my last post (Nov. 12, 2013) and now you can see this celebration come to life in three different places.  The photos of the holiday are exotic and colorful, but the videos capture the essence of the celebration.  Here are clickable links to the videos I have posted on Youtube:

The first two are of Dia de los Muertos in small Mayan towns outside of the city of San Cristóbal and have the flavor of these places:

San Juan Chamula, Chiapas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg_1bTFIi1g

Romerillo, Chiapas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0djWi91TKs

This third video is of the holiday in an urban setting, that of the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np9YteLYljE

I hope you enjoy them.

Dia de los Muertos: Chiapas

The Day of the Dead, in Spanish Dia de los Muertos, may be the best-known Mexican holiday.  It is characterized by skeletons and death-themed sweets such as those seen 
on the special altars or ofrendas. In contrast to the U.S. and Western Europe, in Mexican culture death is treated openly even to the point of joking about it. 

Typical altar or ofrenda for the Day of the Dead, Cozumel, MX

Ofrenda, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas

The Day of the Day is actually the Days of the Dead (Dias de los Muertos), since the celebration includes October 31, All Hallows' Eve (Halloween), November 1 and November 2.  All three days are a part of triduum (three day celebration) in the Roman Catholic Church calendar and are celebrated in various forms throughout the world.  In Mexico, they have a special twist that comes from the inclusion of many pre-Hispanic elements in the observances.  The original Aztec celebration was dedicated to a goddess known as "The Lady of the Dead", but was not held on the same days as the Christian celebration.  After the Conquest, the Aztec celebration was moved and the two were merged into one celebration. In modern times, this goddess of the dead has been transformed into a figure known as "La Catrina" a woman who is a skeleton. The Halloween costume on the woman in the photo below is that of "La Catrina".

Woman dressed as "La Catrina", San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

Halloween Night and the next night, November 1, people masquerade in costumes

and in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, where I was for the Day of the Dead this year, the whole city had a party-like atmosphere.  Many costumes were more conventional and typical of those seen in the U.S. 

Children in costume, Halloween Night, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas

However many of the Day of the Dead celebrations in the indigenous towns Chiapas are much more exotic and unlike anything else in Mexico. Chiapas is in southwest Mexico and is the southernmost state of Mexico as well as having one of the largest indigenous populations in the country.   In Chiapas, as all over Mexico, the main idea of the Day of the Dead is that the souls of the deceased return to earth for the day to visit the living: November 1 is the day of return for the souls of children and November 2 is the day for return of adult souls.

Romerillo, Chiapas, MX- Cemetery

In the Mayan community of Romerillo, which is about  fifteen minutes from the center of San Cristobal, the celebration of the Day of the Dead takes on a completely different tone.  The green and blue crosses, which are typical of the Mayan villages in Chiapas, are very tall in this town. (The crosses, themselves, will be the topic of a separate blog post.)  In the photo you can see that they are covered with yellow flowers- marigolds. The Aztecs called this flower cempasuchil and it was used to commemorate the dead and it continues to have this meaning throughout Mexico.  The belief is that the earthy colors of the marigold help guide the dead home.

In the Romerillo cemetery, there are planks of wood placed on the graves to make sure the souls stay within.  On the Day of the Dead, the planks are removed so that the souls can leave the graves and visit with family members.  These photos were taken on October 31, so the wooden planks were still in place. They would be removed the next day so the souls of the departed could visit with their families.

Cemetery,  Romerillo Chiapas

Cemetery,  Romerillo Chiapas

Shortly before the Day of the Dead, families gather in the cemeteries to clean and prepare the graves. These photos of Romerillo were taken on Halloween Day 2013 and at that time the cemetery already had a festive feeling.  Traditional dances (Dance of the Jaguar and the Serpent)  by men dressed in ceremonial clothing, were being performed and people were selling various sorts of food there in the cemetery.  

Romerillo, Chiapas Cemetery

Food for the dead is put on the graves and on the ofrendas to provide nourishment for them on their visit home.  Very often you will see bottles of coke or other beverages on the graves as well as tamales and other foods.  It is said that the dead eat the essence of the food and that it does not taste the same to living humans after the departed have "eaten" it.

Food offered to dead, Romerillo Chiapas

On the same day in Tenejapa, a Mayan town, about 35 minutes outside of San Cristóbal known for its weaving, the local school had constructed ofrendas.  All throughout Mexico, it is traditional for schools build ofrendas for the Dia de los Muertos.  

Ofrenda built by school, Tenejapa, Chiapas

Ofrenda built by students, Tenejapa, Chiapas

Normally indigenous people in Chiapas are reluctant to have photos taken and in many places, photos are forbidden.  But here, in Tenejapa, the principal of the school, whom we encountered, invited us to take as many photos as we wanted.  Some of the students were in the traditional dress of the area.

Students in traditional clothing , Tenejapa Chiapas

Students in traditional clothing, Tenejapa Chiapas

The next group of photos were taken on November 2 in San Juan Chamula, a very traditional Mayan community about 20 minutes outside of San Cristóba and they clearly show what is central to Dia de los Muertos: festivity and family.  Dia de los Muertos, is the time when families "visit" with their deceased members through remembering them- putting out their favorite foods, telling stories about them, mourning them and in other ways.

On November 2, the cemetery in San Juan Chamula, which is located next to the old church ruin of St. Sebastian (it was destroyed in a fire), was a lively place. Family groups gathered round laughing, singing and in some cases, mourning profoundly.  The overall atmosphere, though, was one of joy and not sadness; Dia de los Muertos is a time for joyful reunion with lost loved ones.

Cemetery, San Juan Chamula Chiapas

As can be seen in this photo, the people in Chamula were all wearing traditional dress.

The wool shirt the man wears is for special occasions and is woven by the women, as are the black skirts that they themselves wear,  from the wool of sheep that are raised in the community.

San Juan Chamula, Cemetery

Here the graves are decorated with a combination of pine boughs and marigolds.  In the church in Chamula during the Dia de los Muertos, the entire floor was covered with pine needles, which are said to represent eternal life.

Cemetery, San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

Grave covered with pine needles and marigolds, San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

In the next photo cans of beer can be seen on the grave and it is not unusual to see various forms of alcoholic beverages on graves, along with Coca Cola and foods. In Chamula the celebrators were drinking pox, the traditional alcohol of Chiapas that is made from sugar cane and is something like rum.  Drinking pox is a part of the traditional religious culture and is a part of all celebrations.  Our guide was a friend of the local people and he was obliged to drink a graveside toast with them.  Let's say that everyone was very happily feeling the effects of the pox.  

Cemetery, San Juan Chamula Chiapas

Some of the graves had small fires burning next to them, so that the smoke could guide the souls of the dead to the place.  Another way that souls are guided back to visit is through the loud ringing of church bells in the center of the town.  In the photo below, people are lined up to ring the bells to call the souls of their deceased family members back to earth.  Each ring of the bell calls one soul back, so each person would ring the bells as many times as he had souls that needed to return.

Ringing the Church bells to call the dead- San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

In the Dia de los Muertos, all the senses-sight, smell, hearing, taste- are used to bring the dead back to earth for a day.  It is a day when the dead are invited back into the company of the living and being there for this celebration is a unique experience for people from cultures in which the dead live only in the realm of memory. At its heart, the celebration is a family reunion for the entire family- alive or not- and to see death celebrated and find this kind of joy beside a grave or tomb is an eye-opening experience.
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You can watch my video about Dia de los Muertos in Romerillo Chiapas at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0djWi91TKs  (clickable link)
 

Saints as Teachers: Teotitlán del Vallee

The 17th century church of Teotitlán del Valle, a small town about 20 miles outside of Oaxaca City, is known as Preciosa Sangre de Cristo (Precious Bloof of Christ).  As can be seen in the photos below, the church is built in the sturdy Oaxacan baroque style (see April 16, 2013 post of this blog) with flying buttresses.

Preciosa Sangre, Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca

Preciosa Sangre, Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca

This church has a long barrel-vaulted nave lined with gold altars dedicated to various saints; the church has 23 different saints. Here and throughout the Latin American world the saints, santos in Spanish,  are not only objects of religious devotion, but  were central in the religious history of the area. 

Interior, Preciosa Sangre, Teotitlán, Oaxaca

 .

Think of these saints (and many others like them) as the real "teachers" of Christianity to the Indians in early colonial Mexico.  The cult of saints, the system of beliefs and rituals using saints and their images, was a core part of the evangelization of Mexico. The early friars, whose job it was to convert the indigenous to Christianity, felt that they would not understand the ideas of Christianity in the abstract. In their view, the new converts needed visual aids and festivals to become involved in the new religion and these were the saints and their feast days.

Saints lined up for procession, Preciosa Sangre, Teotitlán, Oaxaca 

In the photo above, taken during the Easter season, are some of the saints of the church seen in line for a procession. The first in the line is Santo Entierro, Christ in a coffin (see 3/28/13 post of this blog for an explanation of this figure) , followed by St. Peter, Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad), and Mary Magadalene ( yellow cape with long hair).  Each of the saints most likely has its own confraternity, cofradia in Spanish, a European institution brought to the Americas by the friars that involves the care of the saints and their festivals. 

Saints ready for procession, Preciosa Sangre, Oaxaca

Saint Peter

Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad),

The friars viewed the confraternity as the best way of reinforcing the Christianity of the newly converted:  a way to acquaint them with the sacraments, devotions, rituals and obligations of Roman Catholicism and make sure that they followed this path.  The confraternity was responsible for maintaining the saint's image, celebrating its feast day  and offering masses in its honor. Additionally, it distributed charity and participated in the rituals of death and dying of its members, offering masses for them that cared for their souls in the afterlife.  

The activities of the confraternity were paid for by its members, with the wealthiest among them contributing the most and having the highest rank, that of mayordomo.  This occupier of this position changes from year to year and being a mayordomo is a position of respect and leadership in the community.  Confraternities are still a major part of life in Mexico and the rest of the Latin American world and it is in religious processions that they can be seen in action.  Those with the highest positions, the mayordomos and other officials lead the procession with the general membership following.  

 To view videos about Colonial Mexico, please refer to my Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1X9HovU6rXHx4Iqv4287yQ  Among the videos,  
you will find one about the beautiful church in Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca which is located close to Teotitlán del Valle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQvhFy4-2k


  

  

Painted Churches of Oaxaca: Santa Ana Zegache

The town of Zegache is a short distance away from Ocotlán de Morelos, which itself is about a half-hour outside of Oaxaca City.  Along with the church of Santo Domingo in Ocotlán, discussed in my September 20 post, Santa Ana Zegache is a project of the Fundación Rodolfo Morales, which was begun by this internationally-known Oaxacan artist who dedicated himself to the renovation of Colonial era Oaxacan churches.

 Santa Ana was originally built in the 17th century by friars of the Dominican order, as was Santo Domingo, Ocotlan and the majority of churches in the area of Oaxaca.  Like most churches in Oaxaca it is built in the sturdy "earthquake baroque" style typical of the region (see April 16 post of this blog), as can be seen in the photo directly below. In this style of construction, the bell-towers are a part of the building, not a separate element, which adds structural stability.

Santa Ana Zegache, front façade

Santa Ana Zegache, bell-tower

The façade of Santa Ana is typical of the churches of Oaxaca in that it is divided into sections with decorative elements in each.  This style of construction is known as a retablo façade and was a Roman Catholic Counter Reformation element meant to mirror the retablo (altarpiece) within the church and remind viewers of the authority of the Church and its orthodox doctrine.

Santa Ana Zegache, façade

In the façade of Santa Ana Zegache there is only one statue, that of the church's patron saint, Santa Ana (Saint Anne) which is located in a niche toward the top.  Santa Ana was the mother of the Virgin Mary and is shown in her typical stance of reading a book and wearing her characteristic green cloak.

Santa Ana,  patron saint of Santa Ana Zegache

The vases of flowers seen on the façade below are typical Oaxacan decorative elements found in many churches.

Façade detail, Santa Ana Zegache

Altars:

Santa Ana Zegache is chock full of both altars and saints.  There are nine gilded baroque altarpieces in addition to the main altar.  As is customary, the main altar is dedicated to the patron saint, here Santa Ana, shown in the center of the second layer.  God the Father can be seen at the very top in the center. (the photos should enlarge when clicked)

Main Altar: Santa Ana Zegache church

Altar dedicated to Jesus (shown both as an adult and the Divine Child),  Santa Ana Zegache Church

Altar dedicated to St. Mary and St. Elizabeth, Santa Ana Zegache church

Saints:

As in all Mexican churches, there are many statues and images of saints in Santa Ana Zegache. Some of them have a special connection to the Dominican order whose church it had been, reinforcing  Dominican significance and identity in the eyes of the indigenous worshippers.   

Santa Ana  (St. Anne), the mother of the Virgin Mary, is shown in her standard iconography, in a green cape holding a book as she was depicted in the church façade.

Santa Ana, Santa Ana Zegache

Many of the saints in the church have some specific relationship to the Dominican order.
St. Peter of Verona (St. Peter Martyr), a 14th century Dominican martyr, was killed by an assassin hired by the Cathars, a heretical Christian group, through a blow to the head with a hatchet. If you look closely, you can see the hatchet lodged in the statue's head.

St. Peter of Verona, Santa Ana Zegache church

St. Catherine of Alexandria, an early Christian martyr (4th century C.E.) was a scholar who was tortured to death on a spiked breaking wheel.

St. Catherine of Alexandria, Santa Ana Zegache church

John the Baptist is shown both as a figure and as a severed head, as was his fate in
Biblical lore.

St. John the Baptist, Santa Ana Zegache

Head of St. John the Baptist, Santa Ana Zegache

The following photos are a few close-ups of figures seen on the altars shown above. This seated "reflective Jesus" was seen in front of the altar dedicated to Jesus and the Divine Child. This pose is one of the standard ways in which the Jesus of the Passion is depicted throughout Mexico. He is dressed in the purple robe placed on him in mockery by the Romans.

"Pensive Jesus", Santa Ana Zegache

Saints Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and St. Mary, mother of Jesus, are shown standing side-by-side above in front of an altar. 

Saint Elizabeth holding infant John the Baptist, Santa Ana Zegache

 The young Virgin Mary (St. Mary) holds the infant Jesus, whose identity is indicated by the cross that he holds in his right hand.  Both of these figures are somewhat unusual representations of these saints.

St. Mary with infant Jesus, Santa Ana Zegache church

San Judas Tadeo is a beloved throughout Mexico. He is the patron saint of desperate causes and is usually shown carrying an image of Jesus close to his chest.

San Judas Tadeo, Santa Ana Zegache church 

San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers, is always shown with oxen to symbolize his work as a laborer.  He is popular in the rural agricultural areas of Oaxaca such as Zegache. 

San Isidro Labrador, Santa Ana Zegache church

The many saints in Santa Ana, Zegache are not there for ornamental purposes.  These figures played an important role in the early transmission of Christianity to the newly converted peoples of Colonial Mexico.  Over the years they became the center of the devotional and even economic lives of the people, sometimes in unexpected ways. This interesting piece of religious history will be discussed in-depth in my next post.

Painted Churches of Oaxaca: Santo Domingo de Ocotlan

The interiors and façades of many churches in Oaxaca are highly decorated and painted, but the term "painted church" is used to refer to a few of them, in particular.  In the 1990's Rodolfo Morales, an internationally-reknowned Oaxacan artist returned to Oaxaca and dedicated himself and his foundation, the Fundacion Rodolfo Morales, to the restoration of colonial churches in Oaxaca. His chief focus was the former Dominican church/convent in Ocotlan, but some smaller churches in the area, most notably Santa Ana Zegache a 17th century village church not far from Ocotlan, were a part of this work and will be discussed in a future post.

Ocotlan de Morelos is located about 22 miles outside of Oaxaca City and is a short taxi ride from there.  Ocotlan, is a Nahuatl word meaning "among the trees" and de Morelos, is in honor of a a Catholic priest who was a rebel leader in the Mexican War of 
Independence. The church is called Santo Domingo because it was founded by friars of the Dominican order.  

Front façade of Santo Domingo, Ocotlan, Oaxaca

Tower, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

The construction of a church/convent was begun as early as 1555 in Ocotlan, but for various reasons construction was stopped and not begun again until the 16th century; the Dominican friars remained there until 1885. The very sturdy-looking church is built in the "Oaxacan Baroque" style, which was discussed in my post of 4/16/13. On the top niche in the façade is a statue of St. Dominic (Santo Domingo), shown with his dog and his rosary, two symbols of the Dominican Order.

Santo Domingo, Ocotlan, Oaxaca

Front Altar, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

The church's interior has been exquisitely re-painted using a more or less monochromatic palette reminiscent of the black habit (clothing) of the Dominican Order. As you can see in this detail from the dome, the Virgin Mary, holding a small image of Jesus, is dressed in the characteristic Dominican black and white.

Santo Domingo, detail in dome showing Virgin Mary

Dome, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

Nave interior, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

The front altar of the church displays a number of saints,  including two Dominican saints (to the right) who wear the robes of the order.  Each religious order (Franciscan, Jesuit, Augustinian, Dominican and so on) displayed saints of their own order, in addition to the more general Christian saints, as a means of reinforcing their identity and authority.   

Dominican Saints, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

In Santo Domingo there is an obvious contrast between the monochromatic austerity of the main sanctuary and its two intimate, smaller side chapels.  The main sanctuary is the public space, for masses and communal celebrations. The chapels, both of which seemed to be very holy places for the people praying there, appear to be where the local people go for personal prayer and devotion.  Guide-books do not offer information about them and my own guide made a point of bringing me there.  Although the decoration of the main church is what Santo Domingo is best known for, the atmosphere of the chapels was what was truly amazing.    

Side Chapel, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

Side Chapel, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

The object in the white-draped sanctuary is a gold monstrance, the sunburst-shape vessel used to display the consecrated host, the piece of bread that is believed within the Catholic faith to become the body of Jesus during the Mass.  Adoration of the consecrated host is a major devotion throughout Latin America (and the rest of the Roman Catholic world as well).  However, in this chapel there seems to be something of a mystery about the object in the sanctuary. My guide told me that there had been something else there- something like a tree- that had been removed, he thought perhaps for repairs. He was unsure exactly had been there, but the sole framed picture on the wall of this chapel may offer some clues.

Possibly picture of object removed from chapel

This picture, if you look closely, is also of a monstrance, but one fused with indigenous elements.  The green that is woven around gold sunburst is a maize plant, and maize (corn) was a central deity throughout pre-hispanic Mesoamerica and is still highly significant in modern times.  Additionally, we have to remember that the Sun, itself, was a major component of pre-hispanic religions. The circle of childrens' heads also had a prehispanic significance.  Although there is no proof, it seems quite possible that the object in the picture may have been the  missing object that had been the focus of adoration in the chapel.  If so, it was an object that had a depth of meaning to the worshippers of Ocotlan, the majority of whom are of Zapotec Indian origins and for whom the symbols, such as the maize plant, would have tremendous significance. 

  

 The second chapel in Santo Domingo Ocotlan is one dedicated to the Holy Child and it 

also has its own sense of mystery with an atmosphere quite different from the austere majesty of the main sanctuary. 

Chapel of the Holy Child, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan

Detail of altar, Chapel of the Holy Child, Santo Domingo, Ocotlan