Recognition by UNESCO

History

Altars

The centerpiece of the celebration is an altar, or ofrenda, built in private homes and cemeteries. These aren’t altars for worshiping; rather, they’re meant to welcome spirits back to the realm of the living. As such, they’re loaded with offerings—water to quench thirst after the long journey, food, family photos, and a candle for each dead relative. If one of the spirits is a child, you might find small toys on the altar. Marigolds are the main flowers used to decorate the altar. Scattered from altar to graveside, marigold petals guide wandering souls back to their place of rest. The smoke from copal incense, made from tree resin, transmits praise and prayers and purifies the area around the altar.

Literary Calaveras

Calavera means “skull.” But during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, calavera was used to describe short, humorous poems, which were often sarcastic tombstone epitaphs published in newspapers that poked fun at the living. These literary calaveras eventually became a popular part of Día de los Muertos celebrations. Today the practice is alive and well. You’ll find these clever, biting poems in print, read aloud, and broadcast on television and radio programs.

The Calavera Catrina

In the early 20th century, Mexican political cartoonist and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada created an etching to accompany a literary calavera. Posada dressed his personification of death in fancy French garb and called it Calavera Garbancera, intending it as social commentary on Mexican society’s emulation of European sophistication. “Todos somos calaveras,” a quote commonly attributed to Posada, means “we are all skeletons.” Underneath all our manmade trappings, we are all the same.

Food of the Dead

You work up a mighty hunger and thirst traveling from the spirit world back to the realm of the living. At least that’s the traditional belief in Mexico. Some families place their dead loved one’s favorite meal on the altar. Other common offerings:

Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, is a typical sweet bread (pan dulce), often featuring anise seeds and decorated with bones and skulls made from dough. The bones might be arranged in a circle, as in the circle of life. Tiny dough teardrops symbolize sorrow.

Sugar skulls are part of a sugar art tradition brought by 17th-century Italian missionaries. Pressed in molds and decorated with crystalline colors, they come in all sizes and levels of complexity.

Drinks, including pulque, a sweet fermented beverage made from the agave sap; atole, a thin warm porridge made from corn flour, with unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla added; and hot chocolate.

Costumes

Day of the Dead is an extremely social holiday that spills into streets and public squares at all hours of the day and night. Dressing up as skeletons is part of the fun. People of all ages have their faces artfully painted to resemble skulls, and, mimicking the calavera Catrina, they don suits and fancy dresses. Many revelers wear shells or other noisemakers to amp up the excitement—and also possibly to rouse the dead and keep them close during the fun.

Papel Picado

You’ve probably seen this beautiful Mexican paper craft plenty of times in stateside Mexican restaurants. The literal translation, pierced paper, perfectly describes how it’s made. Artisans stack colored tissue paper in dozens of layers, then perforate the layers with hammer and chisel points. Papel picadoisn’t used exclusively during Day of the Dead, but it plays an important role in the holiday. Draped around altars and in the streets, the art represents the wind and the fragility of life.

Day of the Dead Today

Thanks to recognition by UNESCO and the global sharing of information, Día de los Muertos is more popular than ever—in Mexico and, increasingly, abroad. For more than a dozen years, the New York-based nonprofit cultural organization Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders has staged the city’s largest Day of the Dead celebration. But the most authentic celebrations take place in Mexico. If you find yourself in Mexico City the weekend before Day of the Dead this year, make sure to stop by the grand parade where you can join in on live music, bike rides and other activities in celebration throughout the city.

SOURCE: NationalGeographic.com

Celebrate Day of the Dead in cultural Mazatlan
1-2 of November.
Altars, parades, concerts and more…

5 Tips for Buying Property in Mexico

So, you’ve decided to be a shrewd investor and take advantage of a strong U.S. dollar to purchase property in Mexico. The problem now becomes finding the ideal property while still living in your home country.

Here are five tips to help you accomplish your goal:

1. Determine Your Budget

This is probably the most important one because it will define what options you have. If your intention is to live in a small Mexican village in the interior of the country, your budget can be relatively low; however, if your intention is to live near the coast inside a gated golf course community, the cost will be significantly higher. It’s important to set a realistic budget.

2. Narrow Your Search Ahead of Time

Mexico is large country and you should narrow your search to a town or limited geographic area. If you don’t know yet, you might want to travel a bit more before investing.

3. Find a Trusted Real Estate Professional

This is the most challenging part of the entire process because most people are relying on Internet searches to find real estate agents or developers.

It’s important to keep in mind that anyone can build a professional looking website in a matter of minutes. Unless you have personally met the person or been referred by a trusted source, you have no way of knowing for sure if the person is who they say they are.  Be leery of anyone asking for excessive personal information (e.g. social security number) or a security deposit for a property sight unseen.

4. Plan a Trip or Two

If you are seriously looking at property in Mexico, it’s inevitable that you will have to visit Mexico at least once or twice during the process. We would recommend holding off on the Tequila shots until after the real estate negotiations are done.

5. Hire an Attorney

Before signing a contract, it’s a good idea to have a Mexican real estate attorney review it. This could save you a lot of headaches down the road.

Even if you don’t get an attorney to review the contract, you’ll still need one once the time comes to close on the property. This comes as a surprise to many Americans and Canadians buying property in Mexico.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Although it’s a good time to invest in Mexico, don’t foolishly rush into a real estate deal without doing your homework first. It pays to be a little cautious and to remember the old saying: If it’s too good to be true it probably is.

Source: qroo.us

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Mexican Day of the Dead Bread
(Pan de Muerto)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces butter (at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons whole aniseed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups flour (white bread or all-purpose, divided)
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (not to exceed 110 F)
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 (1/4-ounce) packets instant dry yeast

Glazes for Pan de Muerto

Choose one of these glazes to finish your pan de muerto. After applying a glaze, sprinkle the loaf with plenty of white or colored sugar using granulated table sugar, superfine (not confectioners’) sugar, or table sugar pulverized in a blender or food processor.

• Orange Juice Glaze: Bring 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup fresh orange juice to a brief boil, then cool to room temperature. Brush it on the bread after the loaf cools.
• Orange Juice-Egg White Glaze: Mix 3 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate and 1/3 cup sugar with 2 large egg whites. Brush it on the bread during the last 10 minutes of baking.
• Brown Sugar-Cranberry Juice Glaze: Bring 1/4 cup piloncillo (or dark-brown sugar), 1/4 cup white sugar, 2/3 cup cranberry juice, and 2 tablespoons orange zest to a boil, then let it cool to room temperature. Brush it on a baked loaf after the bread cools.

Detailed recipe: thespruceeats.com

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