Día de los Muertos

Of course, since it was Día de los Muertos weekend, we didn’t just see forts. We went to see ofrendas as well. I was excited to see how it was celebrated, and thankful for my tour guides, especially since, as fellow Methodists, they don’t actually celebrate Día de los Muertos. We spent one day in Puebla and another day in Huaquechula and Atlixco. We went to a cultural center where we saw a life-size ofrenda in honor of Revolutionary heroes, and some figurines and candelabras as well. Then we went to the city hall in el centro that had another life-sized display. After we finished the tour, we went to look at ofrendas that were set up in el zocalo. These ones were less professional and more homemade looking. Some were for family members or important people, some were for groups of people and one was pre-Hispanic with everything labeled in its indigenous name. At this point it was dark, crowded and I was concerned about my camera- but, thankfully I still have it!

Pancho Villa

Happy guitar-playing skeleton

Ofrenda for Frida

Pre-Hispanic ofrenda... not sure which language though.

For our massacred, migrant brothers

For 49 babies and 1200 children killed in the Narco war.

After seeing the ofrendas there was a parade that went by. There were lots of people chanting and walking. I guess it was a parade in honor of death. My tour guides said they were adoring death, and they were amazed by how many people were there. They had dolls that signified death, some big, some small, all with fancy dresses, long hair and a black skull. Me, I was confused by everything, but was not getting good vibes. Suddenly the little kids in their US-style Halloween costumes didn’t look cute- they looked extremely out of place. The strength of belief around me seemed overwhelming. Between the Catholics who believed their loved ones would be coming for a visit and the people who had made some sort of pact with death… It all seemed very real. Nothing like any Halloween party I’ve ever been to. Apparently, worshipping death has become more common and open in the last few years. Followers hand out information and even have “misas” for death. Some people have replaced the Virgen de Guadalupe with a death doll in their homes. Kind of like having the Grimm Reaper in your living room- only dressed up as a pretty doll. It was all very disturbing. And I still can’t help wondering… how do people, often initially Catholic, end up worshiping death? Isn’t it clearly the opposite of life and light?

The next day was significantly less creepy. First, we picked up a couple more family members and went to Huaquechula, where they are known to have large ofrendas. Households that had had a death in the family in the last year set up giant ofrendas, often taking up half the room. We walked around visiting the different households. Because the town is known for its ofrendas, many out-of-towners come to visit. I think in towns where there aren’t so many visitors, they offer everyone something to eat and drink. But with so many visitors, they had a system worked out. If you put some money in the donation tray, they offer you juice or hot chocolate. If you pay to light a candle, then they invite you to eat. (I’m sure if you’re actually friends or family it’s different!) The ofrendas were beautiful. They had 3 tiers. The bottom tier had things to eat such as fruit and bread. The second tier had things that that person had enjoyed in life. The top tier usually had a cross, the Virgen de Guadelupe or angels. This experience was a lot closer to what I had been imagining. The people who set up ofrendas had a quiet reverence and pride for their loved one. They seemed happy to be able to honor their loved one in this way. As one of my companions confided to me, not everyone believes that the dead actually come back, but it is still a day to remember them. And so the tradition continues.

Finally, we went to Atlixco for dinner and to watch a parade. Thankfully, this was a normal sort of parade with lots of people dressed up and high school marching bands. Good fun!

Ok, so you can't really tell in this photo, but the picture is actually a mirrored reflection. All the ofrendas had this, it is because they recognize that it is just the persons spirit or reflection that comes back. Also, the pretzel-shaped bread is a typical pan de muerto for Atlixco. It represents the face of a skull.

This ofrenda was for 2 people- it was impressive!

Definitely my favorite costume.

They played Mony, Mony!