Night (and Day) of the Living Dead

No culture reveres family more openly than the Mexican.  And at no time is this more apparent than during the annual observance known as “El Dia de las Muertos.”  This two day extravagance is the culmination of a national fascination which lasts all year long.  It’s about family, about death, about life.  The curious occasion is celebrated all over the country with family gatherings, colorful costumes and special treats, particularly chocolate.

Throughout Mexico all year long one encounters ghoulish statues, masks, t-shirts featuring skulls and other icons of death.  They are eerie and off-putting at first.  Then gradually one recognizes in some fashion these are gestures of respect for those who have departed.  They are also colorful reminders that our own time on earth is limited.

There is no better place in Mexico to observe this cultural curiosity than in Guanajuato, about a two hour drive from Mexico City and appropriately situated in the craggy Colonial Highlands.  It is not an easy environment to navigate.  Carved directly out the stony landscape, driving a car in this city is difficult.  With narrow streets, long, one-way underground passages and a layout which totally disregards geometry, a tour of Guanajuato is best done by local taxi.

We, however, choose to drive.

It is a university town and perhaps for this reason the population seems particularly lively.  There are  young people everywhere particularly clustered around the central square.  The Teatro Juarez is here with a handsome neoclassical facade festooned with statues of muses.   A silent cast-bronze minstrel frozen in song strums a voiceless guitar at the center of the action.

Racks of artwork congest sidewalks with images of Sancho Panza with that other guy…Don Quixote.  We see students in costume hustling pedestrians in comic, good-natured pantomime. This is a great place to grab a bite at any time of day at open air restaurants.  The eateries are priced for all pocketbooks, from elegant to economic.

Guanajuato is also the childhood home of world-renown muralist Diego Rivera. Few of his major works are here since he left as a young boy, but there is a fascinating museum which serves as a time capsule of his earliest days. Outside it, there is an engaging statue of the painter. He stands, palette and paintbrush in hand as though he is presenting a lecture to the birds.  Around the town there are almost as many images of Rivera as there are of his famous heartthrob, Frida Kahlo.

Probably the city’s most famous residents are its not so recently departed.  For an unforgettable yet chilling experience every visitor to Guanajuato should go to the “Museo de las Momias.” (Mummy Museum). Fair warning for newcomers: displays inside may change your life, even though the exterior is easy to overlook. There are no grisly billboards, no provocative signs.  Inside is a different matter.

One enters a room which feels like a cavern. Dozens of well preserved corpses of all ages are on display. There is nothing to worry about. They are hermetically sealed behind glass walls, tastefully lit and arranged as though they have something in common, maybe a zombie party interrupted at midnight. They are in the clothes in which they were buried and are all surprisingly well-groomed.

Placards in Spanish provide tantalizing details.  But the expressions frozen on the faces provide the most compelling commentary.  Some are composed, some are outraged,  some appear to be sleeping. Others are distorted like a production still from a horror movie, as though not only death, but burial caught them by surprise.  It’s clear the experiences were different for each.

At the end of the self-guided tour there is a display of empty coffins. Visitors are invited to try one on for size.  We decline.

Although circumstances of mortality are universal, observance of Day of the Dead in Mexico is a family affair.  Members gather at cemeteries with candles and provisions to spend the day with grandparents, departed friends and others.  The day begins somberly, and maintains its dignity throughout.  But since children are part of the ritual throughout the day there is a festive air.  This will continue for two days and include parades and night time vigils with children finding who can be the most frightening.

Dia de Muertos is an annual celebration observed throughout Mexico and beyond on November 1 and 2. It celebrates friends and family who have died.