Dia de los Muertos: An Overview

Pomuch Campeche MX

Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated throughout Mexico.  The holiday, which combines elements of Christian belief and practice with indigenous elements, runs from October 31-November 2, although in practice Dia de los Muertos events and preparations begin well before the designated dates.

Celebrations in all areas of Mexico involve the belief that during the days of the Dead, the boundary between the living and the dead becomes  permeable and the dead return to the sphere of the living with the invitation of the smells of special foods, flowers   and incense that are arrayed on altars built for them.  What is most interesting is how the customs vary from place to place. 

The linked article below has several links that will take you to articles and videos about the  unique celebrations of Dia de los Muertos in different areas of Mexico. Please take alook.

https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-dia-de-los-muertos-odyssey.html

Dia de los Muertos and the Covid 19 Pandemic

                                                        Market selling items for ofrendas, Oaxaca MX
 

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican icon.  The official dates are November 1 and 2, although preparations for the holiday begin earlier in October and in some places, there are observances as late as November 4 or 5. Often, influenced by Halloween, on October 31, people costume and parade publicly and children beg for money and candy.  

The holiday is a blend of pre-hispanic and Roman Catholic beliefs and customs.   Dia de los Muertos is a time when the curtain between the worlds of the living and the dead opens and dead relatives can return to spend time with the living loved ones they left behind. This year, Dia de los Muertos will have a special importance, in view Covid-19 pandemic and the huge number of deaths in Mexico,  As of this writing, over 86,000 people have died from the disease in Mexico.                                         

If Mexico ever needed the comfort that Dia de los Muertos can bring to the bereaved, it is now.Yet, there will be many constraints on observance of the holiday and the normal rituals because of the pandemic.

Typically, there are three levels of observance of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico.  In the home, altars (ofrendas) are made for the dead, with the foods enjoyed by the deceased.  There are also more ofrendas in places like businesses, churches and other public venues. 

                                                            Ofrenda, Oaxaca MX

                                                      Decorated Gravesite, Oaxaca MX 

Then, there is the custom of beautifully decorating graves with traditional flowers such as marigolds, foods and candles.  Families gather in cemeteries to decorate the graves and spend time remembering and mourning the deceased. 

Observances in Cemeteries (Pantéons)

 The most beautiful observances of Dia de los Muertos are found in the cemeteries, or pantéons, in Spanish.  Oaxaca is famous for beautiful and moving night-time Dia de los Muertos celebrations.  In these photos, families gathering to grieve together, and spend time with deceased members. These cemeteries have become popular tourist attractions.

Dia de los Muertos, cemetery of Xoxotlan, Oaxaca

Dia de los Muertos, cemetery of Xoxotlan, Oaxaca

                                                         Dia de los Muertos, Oaxaca

Dia de los Muertos, Oaxaca

Oaxaca has officially cancelled all public Dia de los Muertos events.  https://www.milenio.com/estados/covid-19-oaxaca-cancela-eventos-masivos-muertos 

This is a tremendous loss to the Oaxaca's tourism as well as its people.  As you can see in the photos, flowers, marigolds in particular, play an important role in decorating for Dia de los Muertos; sales of these flowers are down 50% this year in Mexico.  There is no online information about any virtual activities as there are in other places such as Mexico City.

Will Public Observances of Dia de los Muertos be allowed?

The very thing that makes Dia de los Muertos special, is the gathering of people in cemeteries to spend time with their beloved dead, as in the photos above.  This gathering of people in collective grief, is important to people, but is complicated by the health risks of public gatherings because of the pandemic.

The Mexican government has come up with measures to try and deal with this difficult situation. In many places, cemeteries will simply be locked November 1 and 2 to prevent the traditional gatherings. In Mexico City, the cemeteries will definitely be closed.  By some reports,  authorities have decided is to make decisions about cemeteries closures based on the covid situation from area to area.  Where the pandemic is more under control, cemeteries will be allowed to open with strict health measures in place.  In other places, with a higher active covid case count such as Mexico City cemeteries will remain closed. Since the covid situation in Mexico is fluid, some decisions likely won't be made until closer to the holiday.  If you read Spanish, here is article describing the details:  https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2020/10/14/como-sera-la-visita-a-los-panteones-durante-dia-de-muertos-este-ano-de-pandemia/

In some places, time-honored traditions are being adapted to the needs of the pandemic, as in this Dia de los Muertos candy market in Toluca MX.  https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/covid-19-not-enough-to-stop-annual-day-of-the-dead-candy-fair/

Mexico City has adapted a number of it's traditional Dia de los Muertos events in inventive ways. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/day-of-the-dead-events-adapted-for-the-pandemic/ One event, its parade, will be purely virtual, but other events will be held but include safety measures like social distancing and reservations.

A contact in Chiapas has told me that most celebrations will be private and that most of the cemeteries will remain closed except in very small towns.

Often, on the holiday,  people being painted  to resemble skeletons (Catarinas).  There is a long tradition of doing this and one Mexican artist who specializes in this activity plans to keep the tradition this year with some modifications. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/artist-wont-let-the-virus-stop-her-day-of-the-dead/

Virtual Dia de los Muertos:

In view of the pandemic, many areas are creating virtual celebrations, just as they did with Semana Santa events.  

Mexico City plans to do its annual  Dia de los Muertos Procession as a virtual event. https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/coronavirus/mexico-city-plans-virtual-day-of-the-dead-celebration/

Here is a video of a virtual celebration taking place in the Xochimilco area of Mexico City. https://www.wfla.com/tampa-hoy/e tl-dia-de-muertos-de-mexico-se-adapta-a-la-pandemia/

There are two types of altars created for Dia de los Muertos.  There are those that are made within the home for a family and those that are in public spaces.  This year, in Mexico City there will be no public altars around which crowds would be sure to gather, but altars will be virtual.  https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/city-invites-citizens-to-submit-day-of-the-dead-altar-photos/ 

I will be adding information about virtual celebrations as it becomes available.

A Look at Traditional Dia de los Muertos:

For a look at traditional Dia de los Muertos celebrations, I invite you to click on this link, which leads to an article showing pre-pandemic celebrations from different areas of Mexico.  https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-dia-de-los-muertos-odyssey.html

Dia de los Muertos is Almost Here

Grave decorated for Dia de los Muertos, Oaxaca, MX

Dia de los Muertos Altar, Oaxaca, MX

Dia de los Muertos door decoration, Oaxaca MX

Dia de los Muertos Altar Items for Sale, Oaxaca MX

Dia de los Muertos, roughly Oct. 31-Nov.2, is fast approaching.  It is one of Mexico's most colorful holidays and a fabulous time to visit Mexico, if you can.   But if events keep you at home this year, you can enjoy the holiday second hand through this post. Please follow the link to see Dia de los Muertos as it is celebrated in different parts of Mexico.  Included is a link to a video of a rarely seen observation of the holiday in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas.

https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2018/10/take-tour-of-dia-de-los-muertos-without.html

I hope you enjoy Dia de los Muertos as much as I do!

Take a Tour of Dia de los Muertos Without Leaving Your Home

Items for Dia de los Muertos Altars, Oaxaca, MX

Dia de los Muertos links the living and the dead for a short while, October 31-November 3, and is one of the visually most striking celebrations in all of Mexico.  Click this link and take a tour of Dia de los Muertos throughout Mexico.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-dia-de-los-muertos-odyssey.html

Man with relative's skull, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

By far, the most unique Dia de los Muertos is in Pomuch in the state of Campeche, where they actually take out the bones of dead ancestors to clean them, as seen above.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2016/12/pomuch-campeche-dia-de-los-muertos-you.html

Hope you enjoy your tour!

A Dia de los Muertos Odyssey

Cemetery decorated for Dia de los Muertos, Romerillo, Chiapas

Dia de los Muertos, the time of year in Mexico when the worlds of the living and dead intersect, is coming up.  According to the lore of the holiday, on November 1 and 2, the souls of the dead visit and partake of the lives they once lived on earth. Preparations to welcome the dead begin well before these days and in many places Halloween (Oct. 31) is included in the celebration. 

Each region of Mexico contributes its own specific beliefs and customs to this pan-Mexican holiday. Our odyssey, here, begins in Chiapas, Mexico with its unique contribution of pre-Columbian Maya beliefs and customs.  The green crosses in the photo above are typical of Maya areas and have a local meaning and symbolism beyond that of the Christian cross.  In Romerillo Chiapas, people place boards over graves so that the dead during the year, so they cannot leave them and wander around before Dia de los Muertos.

Grave in Cemetery of Romerillo, Chiapas

Read all about Dia de los Muertos as it is celebrated in Chiapas:
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2013/11/dia-de-los-muertos-chiapas.html

Dia de los Muertos, Cemetery San Juan Chamula, Chiapas

You can see it, as well, in the Videos linked below. The first one I shot at the November 2 celebration in the cemetery of San Juan Chamula, Chiapas. It is one of a kind and you will be treated to an event not usually seen by outsiders, since photography is forbidden ( I had special permission)
A second video is of the celebration in the beautiful cemetery of Romerillo shown in  two of the photos above.  
The third video is of the Panthéon (cemetery) of Cristöbal de las Casas.  Cemeteries are hubs of activities during Dia de los Muertos and this video captures the beauty and poignancy of the celebration.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2013/11/videos-of-dia-de-los-muertos-in-chiapas.html

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In the states of Quintana Roo and Yucátan there are unique twists to Dia de Los Muertos where the holiday is known by its Maya name of Hanal Pixán.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2014/11/dia-de-los-muertos-hospitality-for-dead.html

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In parts of the US once owned by Mexico, elements of Mexcian culture are still vibrant.
Here are two videos shot in the Spanish missions of San Antonio, Texas, which was once a part of colonial Mexico. They show the unique blending of indigenous American and Mexican-Christian elements in this Dia de los Muertos celebration.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2015/10/coahuiltecan-indian-blessing-of-dia-de.html

Dia de los Muertos revelers, Oaxaca

Oaxaca is justifiably famous for its celebration of Dia de los Muertos.  People painted as skeletons, portraying La Catrina the icon of Dia de los Muertos, are everywhere.  Is this all fun and games?  No, there is a much deeper level to all the rollicking activity, as you will learn here:
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2015/11/dia-de-los-muertos-in-oaxaca-rehearsal.html

Open Grave in Cemetery of Pomuch, Campeche

Pomuch, a small town in Campeche, hosts what I call the "Ultimate" Dia de los Muertos". 
It's a little shocking, at first, but fascinating.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2016/12/pomuch-campeche-dia-de-los-muertos-you.html

                                       ----------------------------------------------

Mexico is wonderful any time of the year. During  Dia de los Muertos it is most itself with its essential nature, the unique blending of indigenous and Christian elements, shining through.

A Dia De Los Muertos You Won't Forget: Pomuch, Campeche

Open grave readied for Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch Campeche, MX

                                     
If one of the psychological purposes of Dia de los Muertos is to bring you face to face with death, there is no better place to do it than Pomuch.  The event in Pomuch, a small town in the Mexican state of Campeche, lacks the sugar-coating of the gorgeous festivities of Oaxaca's famed celebration, but it is a stark reminder of what will eventually happen to all of us.  The Mexican state of Campeche is on the west coast of the Yucatan peninsula and Pomuch is a small town about 50 minutes outside of San Francisco de Campeche, the state's capital.  The uniqueness of its Dia de los Muertos celebration is rooted in the burial practices of the town.

Burial Practices:

 The claim is made that Pomuch has burial practices that are unique in all the world.  

       

Sign at gate of Pomuch cemetery, Pomuch Campeche, MX

As in many places in Mexico and elsewhere, Pomuch's cemetery is small and burial space is at a premium.  Bodies are, initially, buried in full-size tombs, as below.

Full-length grave in Pouch's cemetery, Pomuch Campeche MX

                                            

They are left there for a minimum of three years until they, hopefully, decompose;  sometimes they do not fully decompose, which is strange to see.  After this process, if the space is needed, the bones are consolidated into a small ossuary and put into a smaller tomb.  Some of these smaller spaces are completely closed-in. 

Closed grave in Pomuch's cemetery, Pomuch Campeche, MX

                                                
                                          

This type of ossuary burial can be seen in many places in Mexico where space is limited. However in Pomuch there is the unique twist that many tombs are open-fronted so that the bones and sometimes hair of the deceased are in plain view. 

Group of open graves in Pomuch's cemetery, Pomuch, Campeche MX

                                    

Cemetery, Pomuch Campeche MX

                                        

                                      

Open grave, Pomuch, Campeche MZ

                                     

Grave with new embroidered cloth for Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch, Campeche MX

                                                 

Open grave, Pomuch Campeche MX

                                       
Once in a while, for various reasons, a body does not fully-decomposed and when it is disinterred looks more like a mummy than a skeleton. A man working in the cemetery told me that this is due to medications that the deceased had been taking at the time of death; I could not verify this.

Incompletely decompsed skeleton, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                         



Origins of these Practices:

There is nothing written that I have been able to find about Pomuch's burial practices, apart from fairly sketchy tourism pieces on the internet.  These claim that it is a Mayan custom, which seemed somewhat questionable since the people of the most of the small towns in Campeche are largely of Mayan descent and none of them have this practice of open caskets and the below-described "bone washing"  on Dia de los Muertos.  

There is some interesting and, perhaps, relevant information in a very old book by Fr. Diego de Landa, the 17th century grand-inquisitor of the Yucatan who was responsible for the burning of the Yucatec Mayan Codices in Mani.  Perhaps to make amends for his near-annihilation of written Mayan cultural heritage (just two of these books remain), he wrote a book describing various aspects of the Yucatec Mayan culture at the time of the Conquest.  In it he discussed a certain post-mortem practice in which the bones of the skull were cleaned and the cranium kept on display on a kind of altar.  This would seem relevant to the practices observed in Pomuch, but there is no proof that there is a connection between the two customs.  No one in Pomuch seems to how their burial and Dia de los Muertos "bone-washing" evolved.


Celebrating Dia de los Muertos:

The fact that the ossuaries are open and bones visible is not the crux of Dia de los Muertos in Pomuch- these bones are visible all year round and, contrary to mistaken internet reports, the cemetery in Pomuch is open and accessible 365 days a year, according to the keeper of the town's blog.  What makes it Dia de los Muertos is what is done with these bones.

As you can see, bones are laid in an open box lined with an embroidered cloth.  In October, before the days of the holiday, November 1 and 2, the cloths are changed for new ones and the bones themselves are cleaned.  Again, the internet has it wrong, there is no "bone-washing" as is typically claimed in Pomuch, but a careful brushing of bones by family members.

Woman cleaning grandmother's bones in preparation of Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch, Campeche MX

The woman in the photo was brushing-off the bones of her grandmother.  This cleaning is said to be done to preserve the bones.  It is done matter-of-factly with a kind of intimacy.

Apart from bone-brushing, as throughout Mexico, the graves themselves receive special treatment; the exterior painting is freshened, and flowers placed around and inside the tombs. The cloths that line the caskets are changed for new ones.

Grave readied for Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch, Campeche MX

                                                  

Grave readied for Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                            

Grave readied for Dia de los Muertos, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                                     

Open grave, readied for Dia de los Muertos, Campeche MZ

                                                     

                                                     
A rattle had been touchingly placed in this baby's casket.

Baby's grave, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                              

As is customary throughout Mexico, candles are also placed on graves, here among the several caskets in the open tomb.

Open grave, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                               



Relationship with the Dead:

Gate of Pomuch's Cemetery, Pomuch, Campeche

                                           


Throughout Mexico, the spirits are believed to return to visit the earthly realm on the Dias de los Muertos, November 1 for children and November 2 for adults.  Although, on the surface, the holiday is the same in Pomuch as in the rest of Mexico, there seems to be a different kind of relationship to the dead.

Man holding grandmother's bones, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

                                                
The man in the photo above is holding the bones of his grandmother and for him, these bones are his grandmother.  As a child, he said that when he was upset he would come to the cemetery and talk to her (her bones).  

The man below, holding his grandfather's skull,  mirrored these same sentiments. There was no sense of these bones really being dead; they were a part of a once-living and beloved family member.

Man holding grandfather's skull, Pomuch, Campeche, MX

A very old, fragile woman wearing a traditional loose white embroidered dress was walking through the cemetery surrounded and supported by family members. She, apparently had been a teacher and one of her group cheerfully pointed to a casket of bones saying, " He was one of your students."  This is the outlook of people there and there is not a firm line between living person and dead bone, they are both bear the identity of the person to whom they belonged and this does not stop with death.

The people of Pomuch are not death-obsessed.  The town's blog-keeper with whom I corresponded wrote that the cemetery is typically visited primarily in October prior to Dia de los Muertos and on these holidays.  Yet, for some of them, the dead seem closer, more a part of everyday life, than in other locales.   In Pomuch, the graves are open all year long, not just on Dia de los Muertos, and so, in some way, the dead are always there
not just for an annual visit on November 1 or 2.    

Dia de los Muertos and the Human Psyche:

Dia de los Muertos is a holiday with deep psychological significance, in addition to it's ritual and social meaning.  Collectively it is a way for the dead to remain a part of the community of the living and has historical precedents both within Christianity and indigenous beliefs.  Individually, it also has the purpose of helping individuals face and cope with the idea of death, something that is a 100% sure event for all human beings.

In the typical Dia de los Muertos celebration there are pervasive symbols of death.  Altars are built to honor the dead and people paint themselves to look skeletons.

Halloween Night Celebration, Campeche, MX

But there is great deal of difference between looking at someone painted like a skeleton and looking at a real one.

Skeleton, Pomuch Campeche, MX

                                        

The people of Pomuch who choose to have open graves seem very comfortable with the situation and are very matter-of-fact about dealing with the bones of deceased family members.  I asked a few people about their feelings and all of them indicated that they did not see any difference between the bones of a person and the person him or herself.  For the man holding the bones of his grandmother, the bones were his grandmother and everyone questioned answered along the same lines.                                         

Dia de los Muertos Retrospective

Everyone in the US seems to have been more than ready for Halloween for quite a while.  Although Dia de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, in Mexico and other Latin American countries are technically November 1 and 2, the holiday has extended itself to incorporate Halloween complete with trick or treating the night of October 31.

Market, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo MX

                                       

Halloween Night, San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas

                                 
Dia de los Muertos is one of the most dramatic and beautiful times in Latin America and I am re-posting a number of pieces and videos I have done over the past few years as an opportunity for those who have not seen them to see the poignant beauty of this holiday.

This video that I shot in San Juan Chamula is one of a kind, since videos are not normally permitted in this locale :https://youtu.be/Vg_1bTFIi1g.  A second video shot in the cemetery of Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas shows a typical celebration of the day in the city's Pantéon:
https://youtu.be/np9YteLYljE. A third took place in the magnificent cemetery of Romerillo Chiapas:  https://youtu.be/t0djWi91TKs

Please also take a look at previous posts of this blog:  
November 12, 2013, November 18, 2014, November 27, 2015.
You can easily access them in the blog archive on the Home page.

Personally, I can never get enough of this dramatic holiday and, of course, when I return from Mexico in November will be writing about it, once again.

Dia de los Muertos in Oaxaca: Rehearsing for Death

Scene from Dance Performance, Oaxaca, MX 

Scene from Dance Performance, Oaxaca, MX

Human beings instinctively fear death.  Yet in Oaxaca and throughout Mexico during the days of Dia de los Muertos, death is central.  Death-themed items such as skeletons, skulls made of sugar, flowers to decorate graves and create altars to the dead, and much more are sold in all Mexican markets. But, the importance of Dia de los Muertos goes way beyond these visual symbols and the events that are associated with them. With all the extravagant visual beauty of Dia de los Muertos it is easy to overlook psychological dimension; this will be done towards the end of this post.

Dia de los Muertos has roots both in the Catholic Church and in the prehispanic indigenous cultures of the region. At its heart is the idea that at this time of year, usually October 31-November 2,  the "veil" between the living and the dead becomes thin and the dead return to visit.  For a fuller explanation of Dia de los Muertos  please refer to my blog posts: 

http://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2013/11/dia-de-los-muertos-chiapas.html, and http://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2014/11/dia-de-los-muertos-hospitality-for-dead.html.

 Dia de los Muertos celebrates the relationship between the living and the dead with colorful death-themed paraphernalia sold in markets throughout Mexico in the weeks preceding the holiday; death is on view everywhere.

Market, Oaxaca MX

The dead are welcomed back, included and special food is prepared for them and left on  altars made in their honor and on graves.

Santa Cruz, Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, MX

Cemetery, Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Oaxaca

Altar in church, Santa Cruz, Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca, MX

Graves and graveyards are specially decorated for the event in ways that range from the simple to the dramatic.  The grave below is in Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca and it shows the typical flowers used for Dia de los Muertos- marigolds and cockscomb as well as the candles that are used to illuminate the graves at night.

Cemetery in Santa Cruz, Xoxocotlan Oaxaca MX

In some cemeteries, grave decorations are much more elaborate and done by professional artists who specialize in this kind of work, as in this grave from San Felipe del Agua, Oaxaca. This grave is of a man who had been an organist/pianist of note and his family had paid to have this complex floral tribute created.

Cemetery in San Felipe del Agua, Oaxaca MX

The cemeteries are full of mourners who express their grief in various ways. Some people sit in silence and others are more boisterous, creating a party-like atmosphere in the cemeteries. Many of the cemeteries in Oaxaca have live bands playing on stages.

Cemetery in Santa Maria Atzompa, Oaxaca MX

There is a subtle psychological dimension to Dia de los Muertos that is easy to overlook. True, it is a holiday for honoring, remembering and connecting with the beloved dead, but, in a way, it is also a holiday that prepares the living for death.  During Dia de los Muertos, and particularly in Oaxaca, you see people in all kinds of places with skeleton-painted faces. 

Singers leading Procession of Virgin of Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, MX

Dia de los Muertos revelers, Oaxaca, MX

Dia de los Muertos revelers, Oaxaca, MX

The people in these photos were participating in one of Oaxaca's famous night-long celebrations that happen throughout the city from October 31-November 2.   It is easy to dismiss the painted faces as "just" a costume, but this is missing their deeper significance, one which most Dia de los Muertos revelers are unaware. Having a face painted like a skeleton is a way of connecting with the idea of being dead oneself.  Looking in the mirror and seeing a skeleton looking back has some psychological impact whether or not  the participant is aware of it.

Cemetery in Santa Maria Atzompa, Oaxaca

Some mourners in graveyards have skeleton-painted faces in the spirit of the celebration but also in a kind of solidarity with the dead. It is a poignant way of recognizing and sharing kinship with those no longer living.

Cemetery in Tlalixtac de Cabrera Oaxaca MX

Cemetery in Xoxocotlan, Oaxaca MX

Cemetery in Santa Maria Atzompa, Oaxaca MX

Each year in Oaxaca, during the time of Dia de los Muertos, symbols of death are everywhere.  Although a lot of the holiday's events are entertaining, there is something much more profound to all of it.   During Dia de los Muertos everyone is face to face with the most centrally-feared event in human life, death.  Having this repeated opportunity to interface with death in such an open and positive way does impact participants and their outlook on death.