Dia de los Muertos

When Eitan was in Middle School, he was assigned to make Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread) for his Spanish Class.  Well, found a recipe, made it (came out pretty good!) and he took it to school.  Didn't really give it much thought as to what, why, how, bread?, etc.  Now I know!


So, did some research in preparation of this important local holiday.  Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) comes around right about the same time as Halloween, but it really couldn't be more different.  This spiritual ritual, which occurs on November 1st and 2nd, actually dates back about 3,000 years and has survived the centuries of colonization.  The celebration is a combination of Christian and Indigenous rituals.

Dia de los Muertos is an explosion of color and joy.  Although the theme is death, the point of this celebration is to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members.

During this holiday, locals go to the grave sites of family members to eat a meal with them, usually a meal that the deceased enjoyed.  Altars (called ofrendas) are also built to honor the deceased. These ofrendas consist of photos of the deceased, marigold flowers (a symbol of death), candles and incense or burning herbs ("to guide the souls to the altars"), statues of deities, and sweet bread.

Pan de Muerto (sweet bread) and water are placed on the ofrenda which provide the deceased with nourishment and strength on their continued "journey".  The idea is that while most of us consider death an end of life, locals view death as a continuation of life.  Rather than mourning loved ones that have passed, on Dia de los Muertos their lives are celebrated!  November 1st is set aside to celebrate babies and children that have passed away, and on November 2nd the adults are celebrated.


In addition, faces of the living are painted with ornate skulls (flowers and filagree) which serve the purpose
of "mocking death".  In other words, we shouldn't be afraid of death.  Another aspect of the holiday includes sugar skulls ("eaten as a symbol of consuming death and the negative emotions that come with it").  In Tulum (and elsewhere there is a large Expat Community), Dia de los Muertos and Halloween do get a bit combined with the celebration 

starting the evening prior on Halloween night. The locals dress up in traditional Halloween Costumes and also set up altars along the street in front of stores and restaurants as well as in the town square, where there is actually a judged contest for the "best" altar.  There was even some local dancing performances!  If you never watched the Disney movie "Coco," you are truly missing something special!  Coco is a beautiful film about this special, beautiful tradition.




Pictures of the evening...........................

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Off to San Cristóbal de las Casas in the Mexican State Of Chiapas, more of a trek than I expected.  The flight was only 1 1/2 hours, but to get to the Cancun airport is almost two hours, then once we landed, it was another hour up winding steep roads through the clouds to arrive in San Cristobal, elevation 2,200 meters/7,200 ft.  Back to “no air” to breathe (see previous blog from Denver...) and cold!  We had gotten used to 95 degrees/95% humidity (not exactly used to, but you get the picture), but in San Cristóbal, it was maybe 65

degrees during the day and much colder at night.  Add some rain to that to make it cool and damp!  Honestly, can’t complain after living through New Jersey winters, but the weather wasn’t conducive for sightseeing with an almost five-month old baby.  We did what we could; took a lot of taxis, and bundled her up and walked!

Our bundled up Mia!

San Cristóbal de la Casas is a charming Mexican colonial city inhabited by an indigenous Mayan Population and lots of expats from all over the world.  The city's historical center enjoys a Spanish colonial layout featuring a grid pattern, narrow cobblestone streets with zero setbacks from the also narrow and very high sidewalks, and colonial Spanish architecture.  Key aspects include red tile roofs, colorfully painted homes with rustic wood doors, and as you pass by an open door or enter a building, you realize that many homes are designed around a central courtyard, usually with a garden and water feature.  The city's economy is clearly based on commerce, services, and tourism.  Most of the numerous churches in town were closed due to structural damage from the recent earthquake in neighboring Oaxaca as they are extremely old and build of adobe.  The state of Chiapas is known for its Mayan textiles, fresh produce, and of course coffee and cacao, which are grown here.  Needless to say, we enjoyed amazing coffee and chocolate daily!   We discovered a

Oh La La! breakfast daily!

French bakery/patisserie which we frequented daily as well as a small Italian restaurant (maybe 5 tables) where the owner cooks EVERYTHING from scratch (a native of Calabria, Italy who has been here for 40 years).  Thank you Andrea for the best Italian food ever!!!





We did get in a few tours to appreciate the natural beauty of the region (although I was more than thrilled with the shopping).  Our first tour was a 
boat ride on the Sumidero Canyon, which dates back to around the same time period as the formation of the Grand Canyon.  It originated from a crack in the earth's crust and then continued as a result of erosion by the river.

Church in Zinacantán

Our next tour was to experience two Mayan villages - Chamula and Zincantán.  In Chamula we saw textiles being woven, watched hand-made tortillas being prepared (see photos below), and learned a bit about their Christian religion and Mayan rituals.  In Zincantán, we had the awesome experience of entering a church to see how the Mayans practice their religion.  The church was abandoned by the Catholic Church and locals took it over and created a place that suited their current religious practices, mostly with respect to healing.  There are no formal services.  Picture this (no photos were permitted inside): There is grass spread over the marble floor to bring the essence of nature, while church workers stroll around with bowls burning incense making it appear you are walking through a cloud.  Individuals and/or families enter, select a spot on the floor (brushing aside the grass strewn on the floor) and create their own altar by lining up candles in graduated sizes, which they dip in hot wax so they stick to the floor. The more candles, and the taller the candles, the greater the illness they are trying to heal. When the candles are set, the entire family, including the person to be healed, enters and sits around this makeshift altar. Candles are lit, Pepsi Cola is consumed by all (why Pepsi and not Coke I have no clue) as it is believed that the carbonation helps cause belching, which the Mayans believe expels the illness from the body.  Prayers are offered and then a member of the family offers an animal sacrifice (seems to always be a chicken) by first swinging the live animal around the sick person to “transfer” the illness from the human to the chicken, which is then strangled very quietly.  I asked if the chicken is then cooked or made into soup (such a waste of a good chicken....) but alas, it now contains the illness and must be buried.  The whole experience was quite surreal!

The final tour was to the Chiflón Waterfalls and the Lakes of Montebello, right on the border with Guatemala.  It was a three-hour drive from San Cristóbal to the Waterfalls, which is one of the highest and most powerful waterfalls in Mexico, dropping 120 meters (393 feet) over a vertical limestone cliff.  We hiked up to the main waterfall passing several smaller falls along the way.

boats for rent on the lake

Back in the van for another hour (stop for lunch at a local restaurant - amazing chicken mole!) to arrive at Montebello Lakes National Park, which was the first national park in Chiapas, and designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2009.  The park is comprised of several interconnected (underground) lakes which are crystal clear and range in color from pale blue through violet, emerald, and turquoise.  The lakes are famous for the color of their water which is a result of several factors, including the type of soil found at the bottom, the vegetation, and refraction of light.  A long day but really got to see not only the main sights of Chiapas but also rural life in Mexico...cows, horses, and sheep just wandering along the side of the road.

Guatamala at far end of lake

A great week but back to sea level, warmth, the beach, home cooking, and those window screens back at the hostel!

View from our Airbnb at Sunset

Mia's first boat ride	Entrance to Canyon	Spider Monkey in Canyon
"Christmas Tree" waterfall in Canyon	Under the falls in Canyon	Lower falls in Chiflon
Mayan weaving in Chamula	Tortillas in Chamula	spices in San Cristobal Mayan market
Church door in Zinacantan	Walking up toward Chiflon Falls	Bottom of Chiflon Falls

Our "vacation" during our vacation