Día de Muertos in Mexico
As someone who grew up in Kansas, I can't really say that I was exposed to a lot of diversity growing up. There were less than 10 of color in my high school of over 300 people. That said, even I knew about Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is incredibly popular in Mexico and to me, it really captures the essence of the culture.
I can only write about the holiday as an outsider. I can appreciate the holiday and enjoy it, but at the end of the day, it's still very separate from me. I'm not Mexican and as much as I like Mexico, it's important to remember that.
The thing that I like most about the holiday is how it celebrates the total journey of life. It totally and unabashedly acknowledges that we all die. Not only that but some important people in our lives have died also. And sometimes that really sucks. And it sucks that people we love are gone.
Day of the dead gives its participants a chance to remember the people they've lost. There's a real sense of closeness and intimacy. People build ofrendas in their homes, their workplaces, the streets. It's an incredibly public compared to how I grew up grieving. I feel like it acknowledges the universality of pain. We've all felt like this so we can all share.
One of the best ways to celebrate life is through food. And Mexico has got some of the best food that I've ever had. I bought the very first pan de muerto that i saw.
There are two main types of pan de muerto, also known as holgadra. The first is the one pictured. It's very sweet and coated in sugar. The second has the same flaky soft crust but has more of a savory flavor. It's like citrus and smells delicious. There's also different variations, but they're less traditional.
The second most notable characteristic of the holiday is the ofrendas. I visited the municipal cemetery in downtown Puebla and I was swept away. The surrounding streets were full of piles and piles of beautiful flowers. Most popular were marigolds or cempazúchitl. Marigolds are popular because of their historical significance in Aztec society. Marigolds bloom quickly but also due quickly. Their life is brief and beautiful, just like us humans.
As I walked down the cemetery, I saw so many families gathered to celebrate together. They were all eating, drinking and laughing while they visited and decorated the graves of their loved ones.
There were many ofrendas there dedicated to those past. My favorite was one that featured a smoking skeleton.
Another favorite of mine was dedicated to all those who had lost their lives during the earthquake. It was a solemn reminder of Mexico's courage and strength.
All of the ofrendas were beautiful.
The actual day of the dead is celebrated November 2, but All Saints´Day is celebrated November 1 and most events for Day of the Dead are spread out over several days beginning October 31. My good friend and I decided to return to Oaxaca. It's supposed to be one of the best places to celebrate in Mexico.
Once again we took a night bus so we arrived very early in the morning. We checked in early to our hotel and then took a long nap and tried to recover from our journey.
After resting, we set out to watch the festivities. First stop was breakfast. I ate a traditional Oaxacan breakfast of delicious pan dipped in hot chocolate followed by a mole negro tamale. It was so delicious.
After breakfast, we walked to the zocalo. It was full of people walking around, shopping and enjoying the ambiance.
Almost every corner has a musician of some kind singing to the crowd. We bought flower crowns and I got my face painted like a catrina. It was a great experience.
Next we visited the November 20th market. I loved it there. It was so crowded that it was practically bursting at the seams. All of the food was delicious and super cheap.
I ate a tlayuda with traditional Oaxacan cheese and chorizo. It was bigger than my face so there was no way that I could finish.
We then visited San Paolo Church were some celebrations were taking place. We listened to live music, watched the dancing, listened to stories in Spanish and watched the fireworks at the end.
It was amazing and I was definitely not ready to go home when we did.
The next morning, we returned to the zocalo for more people watching. We didn't have much of a plan so we were both happy to simply wonder around.
The architecture of the city is enchanting and there's street art everywhere.
But, Oaxaca is also one of the poorest states in Mexico and it's a frequent location for protests and demonstrations. A lot of the street art is tinted with sadness.
One piece that I kept seeing all over town was dedicated to Luis Carlos Santiago. He was working as a photographer for El Diario when he was murdered in 2010. His death is shielded by secrecy, but it's widely believed that his murder is associated with the drug war.
I visited an art museum dedicated to ancient artifacts and then continued to wander with my friend. We found our way to the central library. As a librarian, I always make a point to visit libraries because they have a special place in my heart.
The central library was decorated in honor of the holiday and there were lots of beautiful ofrendas on display.
We finished our day by returning to the zócalo to listen to the music. Crowds of people had started dancing in the street. My friend and I joined in the fun for a little. I'm not a very talented dancer, but I enjoyed myself.
I spent the last day in Oaxaca wandering around and visiting the various art galleries. I visited the modern art gallery, the stamp museum and several of the privately owned galleries. The colors and designs were beautiful and truly unique to Mexico.
We went to bed early on our last night so that we'd have enough energy to get up super early for our bus.
Oaxaca truly lives up to its reputation as a magical town. The culture is rich and diverse. The chocolate is so good and I hope to visit it again sometime in the future.
