THE FESTIVAL OF DEATH IN MEXICO
“Viene la muerte luciendo, mil llamativos colores … en qué quedamos pelona, me llevas o no me llevas” Tomás Méndez
Intangible Heritage
One of Mexico’s most colorful and ancient traditions is the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Since 2003, UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture) has considered it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Altar a los fieles difuntos difuntos en casa (1994) by María Teresa Vargas y José de Jesús ValdésMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
On November 1st and 2nd every year, towns and villages are filled with flowers and flavors to welcome the dead. Offerings are prepared. Cemeteries and family tombs are visited.
Offerings are never short of flowers, candles, decorative paper banners, bread, incense, skull-shaped sweets, pumpkins, cooked dishes, water, salt, toys, wine, cigars and everything else the deceased person used to enjoy when they were alive.
Velorio móvil (2001) by Gumersindo España OlivaresMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Offerings vary from one region to another. The festival can be celebrated at home, at the cemetery, on the ground, around a table, as a family or as a community.
The festival of Death
For that reason, and to communicate the cultural importance of this Mexican tradition, the Ministry of Culture, through the Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares (National Museum of Popular Culture), which is managed by the Department of Popular Culture, is running an exhibition called "The Festival of Death in Mexico".
Catrina Martina (2012) by Natalia JérezMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
It will display the work of Mexico City's cardboard artists, for whom death is a natural process.
Ataúd con calaveras (1992) by Pedro SotenoMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
It is a sad one due to the loss of a loved one, but it is part of the cycle of life because, as the saying goes, “It is an honest truth that only the unborn can become a calavera."
Cráneo “Ángel de la Guarda” (1992) by Sergio Otero MirandaMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Undeniably, one of this festival's biggest attractions is the papier-mâché offering and art.
Calavera enramada (1992) by Sergio Otero MirandaMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Many artists, including Adalberto Alvarez, Raymundo Amezcua, Sergio Otero and the famous Linares family, have found creative freedom in the faceless image of death. Through it, they created an endless variety of characters: street vendors, elegant women ("Catrinas"), and old and new professions, all caught up in a dance filled with tradition, form and color.
The production
Artists have used paper, a noble and recyclable material, as a medium for expressing their creativity.
Catrín (1992) by Sergio Otero MirandaMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Paper, dipped in paste, is delicately placed, layer upon layer, over a wire or wicker frame, in order to shape the desired figure.
Cráneo “Adelita” (1992) by Leonardo Linares VargasMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Each layer must be allowed to dry to achieve the necessary thickness and strength.
Viejita vendedora de cirios (1992) by David Linares VargasMuseo Nacional de Culturas Populares
Once the figure is finished, it is decorated. Besides strength and precision, the painting and detail demand a rigorous combination of skill and expression.
Reflection of society
Each article has soul and movement, reflecting the culture of the Mexican people.
