Yucatan Rebirth

Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead. It sounds ominous, but in Mexico it’s a celebration of life! I walked up to the Grand Plaza yesterday and there were about 90 alters constructed in the Maya tradition of using small sticks and palapa (palm fronds) for the roofs. These were people from villages all over the peninsula honoring their loved ones. The air was filled with the smell of cooking over open fires and festive music. Each of the huts contain what are called “ofrendas” or offerings that, besides containing the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water, also contain the loved ones favorite food and drink. Some even include favorite articles of clothing. This is because it is believed that once a year the departed return to visit and will certainly be thirsty and hungry. Enjoy the pictures!

Of course we know this in the U.S. as Halloween, but the candy here is quite different. It’s made of sugar and I got some examples to show you. The figure carrying the bottle of (booze?) appears to be a nun as it has a rosary painted on it. The familiar jack-o-lantern is represented and there’s my favorite, the decorated skull. One of my co-workers explained that if you take a bite out of the skull you are showing you don’t fear death and that life is sweet. Sounds like a sane proposition to me!

Larry