Day of the Dead celebration dates far before the spanish arrived. It's a joyous celebration on November 2, the one day each year when the dead come for a visit with the living. Every village celebration has a distinct personality, but the celebrations all include decorations of orange marigolds, fruits and vegetables and candles, and meals of mole and other favorite foods.
With the mixture of catholicism, symbols of crosses made of marigolds mix with the cigarettes, mescal and bread on the altars. Stuart and I began our tour by walking through downtown Oaxaca, looking in every open door and courtyard at the altars. Thursday night, Oct 31, we went to the Panteon General, the city cemetery, to see the beginning of the celebration. The crypts, stacked five tall, surround the graves, and were lit with thousands of candles. It was beautiful, but impossible to photograph. The Oaxaca cemetery covers several city blocks, and the graves are small monuments of marble and elaborate statues of angels and saints. Most of the graves were not decorated, maybe tomorrow. But, most of the city had turned out to see the crypts! We were swept along with the crowds, and were happily surprised to see friends Tere and Dan, and Dan's visiting family in the crowd. A few costumed characters wandered through, and stopped for photographs. A group of women handed out cups of hot chocolate and pan de muerto, a special bread served with the chocolate. Outside the walls of the cemetery, a small carnival was set up, complete with rides and games of chance. Stuart stopped for a empanada at one of the food vendors.
I love the arches of fruits and flowers! Like most of the others, the base of this arch was made from sugar canes. The altar behind it had more fruits, bread sculptures, candles and bowls of food.
At 11:30, we met my spanish teacher, Laura, and other students at the corner, where we boarded a bus she'd hired to take us to Atzompa. Atzompa is a small village just north of the city, known for it's green pottery. There, we saw a very different celebration of the dead.
I have been to Atzompa several times over the years, but had never seen the cemetery. Tonight, it was lighted with millions of candles! Sitting on a hill above the city of Oaxaca, when I stepped through the gate I saw a sea of candles, and a few lights far away. And, stars. Out here, with few lights, the stars are visible.
Unlike the Oaxaca city cemetery, the cemetery at Atzompa has very little marble.. The graves are packed in as closely as possible, just about a footstep's width between the graves. The graves appeared to have been mounded with fresh dirt, and cut marigolds and other wild orange flowers covered almost all the graves. Some have crude markers of black clay, some have wooden crosses with no names. It's early in the night, not all the families have arrived yet. The families who are here have brought stools, blankets, food and buckets of flowers. Some are busily decorating the graves with the flowers, some are digging holes to hold the 2 foot tall candles, others are just sitting, staring in the flames. It is cold tonight, and the old women are wrapped in blankets, children swaddled in polar fleece, laying on cardboard on the ground.
This old man was alone. I watched him light the candles with a bit of string, and then he sat down, prepared to spend the night. Beyond him, another family was laughing and drinking beer, gathered around several graves close to each other.
Another old man, who was also alone. He, too, struggled to light all the candles, and a young man from another party came over to give him a hand.
The sea of candles was beautiful. The mood was happy, but quiet. A band was set up by the gate, playing amplified music, but at the far end of the cemetery, the music was barely heard. Small children slept in grandparents arms, and teenagers roamed in small groups.
Taking photos was not easy. I didn't want to intrude more by using the flash. It was a night I'll long remember for it's peace and beauty.
We boarded our bus at 2am, as more families arrived pushing wheelbarrows of flowers and food, stools hanging from their arms. They would be here until sunrise.
Tomorrow, I mean later today, we go to Mitla.
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