The Day of the Dead and the Elegant Skull by Jayant Neogy

DAY OF THE DEAD

El Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead is a celebration of death practiced widely in Mexico. To celebrate death with music, dancing, wining and dining while the rest of the world treats death with fear, loss and mourning does appear strange at first. However, the meaning becomes clear as we look into Mexico’s history of the Day of the Dead.In the distant past that predates the Aztecs, there existed a strong belief in Mexico that the souls of the dead outlive their bodies and even visit their living descendants at a certain time of the year. The Aztecs refined this belief. To them, the manner of death determined if a soul was considered valiant. Soldiers killed in battle; women dying at childbirth and sacrificial victims were considered deserving of honor and respect from the living. Such ancestral souls were remembered by the living in a month-long festival in August each year, and homage was paid to the lord and lady of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictlancíhuatl.In the 16th Century, the Spaniards brought their Catholic Christian faith with them when they conquered the New World.

In the distant past that predates the Aztecs, there existed a strong belief in Mexico that the souls of the dead outlive their bodies and even visit their living descendants at a certain time of the year. The Aztecs refined this belief. To them, the manner of death determined if a soul was considered valiant. Soldiers killed in battle; women dying at childbirth and sacrificial victims were considered deserving of honor and respect from the living. Such ancestral souls were remembered by the living in a month-long festival in August each year, and homage was paid to the lord and lady of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictlancíhuatl.In the 16th Century, the Spaniards brought their Catholic Christian faith with them when they conquered the New World.

The Conquistadores, particularly the priests tried very hard to stamp out the Pagan practice of rejoicing in death. They succeeded only in part. The month-long festival was gradually shortened to just two days (1st and 2nd of November), to coincide with the Christian All Saints Day and All Soul’s Day.

In the 16th Century, the Spaniards brought their Catholic Christian faith with them when they conquered the New World. The Conquistadores, particularly the priests tried very hard to stamp out the Pagan practice of rejoicing in death. They succeeded only in part. The month-long festival was gradually shortened to just two days (1st and 2nd of November), to coincide with the Christian All Saints Day and All Soul’s Day. Honor was satisfied on both sides!

So things continued till very early in the 20th century. Mexicans continued to honor their ancestors with dancing, music and much feasting and drinking. The Day of the Dead remained a socio-religious event, a spectacle of grand proportions and a tourist magnet. In 1910 however, things took a major political turn. Enter, “The Elegant Skull”!LA CALAVERA CATARINALa

LA CALAVERA CATARINAL

La Calavara Catarina or “The Elegant Skull” made its first appearance around 1910 during the turbulent rule of Mexico’s President Porfirio Diaz. Leaflets appeared, carrying lithographs and etchings that showed a grinning skull wearing only a wide brimmed elegant lady’s hat. The Spanish had gone, and the Mexican Republic was still in turmoil. This image and the name “La Catarina” were created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada. Posada’s twin targets were the rich Mexican elite of the day who aped the grandees of Spain and Diaz himself whose administration was riddled with corruption and excesses. La Catarina looked like Carmen Romero Rubio, the second wife of Diaz, who was also the target of Posada’s biting satire. The name La Calvera Catarina or the “Elegenat Skull” was established however by the famous Mexican Artist, Diego Riviera in 1948.

Over the years, the Mexican Republic stabilized, gained economic muscle and people turned to less revolutionary ways. Along with the cooling of turbulence in political life, the desire to return to its old pre-Hispanic roots awoke in the people of Mexico. Increasingly, the image of La Catarina began to symbolize the celebration of the past life of Mexico’s heroes rather than objects of derision. Lives of revolutionaries, painters, sculptors and even famous football stars had Catarinas built posthumously in their honor, to be displayed and revered during the Day of the Dead festival.

LA CATARINA AND EL KATARIN COMPETETIONS

Since Mexico’s heroes were both male and female, La Catarina acquired an equally fashionable and dapper male escort, El Katarin. Neighborhoods ran competitions for the best turned out La Catarinas and El Katarins. At the city of Xico near Mexico City, a Catarina/Katarin contest is held at their Dia de los Muertos festival around November 5th. Locals dress up as La Catarina or El Katarin. A suitable costume is worn, and a mask or face paint is used to cover the face and body. Costumes for women are long skirts, shawls, hats, feather boas, and flowers. Costumes for men are suave and debonair and even sexy with lots of style and glitter. The men wear big sombreros, and the ladies carry umbrellas.
Perhaps the strangest contest is held in Guadalajara, which is the second largest city in Mexico and capital of Jalisco State. One of the best-known avenues in the city is the Avenida Chapultepec. The Avenue has a wide central boulevard with benches, fountains, bronze sculptures depicting the “Children Heroes”, killed during the Mexican Revolution.

On any day, the Avenue is a delight for tourists and residents alike. For the Day of the Dead however, it takes on a strange but festive air. Several life-size figures of La Catarinas and El Katarins are placed on both sides of the central boulevard. They celebrate the lives of famous Mexicans who range from painters, writers, and poets to football players. Strangest of all, these figures are constructed by school children of the local schools. At the end of the Day of the Dead festivities, the best construct and the school it represents is adjudged the winner! Typically, the figures are constructed on frameworks of plastic bones with a Calarava or plastic skull. The frames are dressed in appropriate male or female costumes and decorated with placards and accessories to, represent the dead characters they symbolize. The skulls are decorated with patterns and paint sometimes artistic, sometimes bizarre.

The overall effect is striking especially in the twilight hours. You can see the much artistic flare, imagination and much passion in the finished figures.So, the modern day La Catarina and El Katarin have outgrown their adolescent anti-establishment ways of mocking the government and have returned to the very soul of Dia de los Muertos, a day to pay homage to the souls of one’s ancestors and to other famous dead. If in the process, Mexicans can face death with less trepidation and more dignity, secure in their knowledge that their souls will return to their loved ones and their memories will not be forgotten, perhaps therein lies a lesson worth learning for the rest of us.

Typically, the figures are constructed on frameworks of plastic bones with a Calarava or plastic skull. The frames are dressed in appropriate male or female costumes and decorated with placards and accessories to represent the dead characters they symbolize. The skulls are decorated with patterns and paint sometimes artistic, sometimes bizarre. The overall effect is striking especially in the twilight hours. You can see much artistic flare, imagination and much passion in the finished figures.So, the modern day La Catarina and El Katarin have outgrown their adolescent anti-establishment ways of mocking the government and have returned to the very soul of Dia de los Muertos, a day to pay homage to the souls of one’s ancestors and to other famous dead. If in the process, Mexicans can face death with less trepidation and more dignity, secure in their knowledge that their souls will return to their loved ones and their memories will not be forgotten, perhaps therein lies a lesson worth learning for the rest of us.

So, the modern day La Catarina and El Katarin have outgrown their adolescent anti-establishment ways of mocking the government and have returned to the very soul of Dia de los Muertos, a day to pay homage to the souls of one’s ancestors and to other famous dead. If in the process, Mexicans can face death with less trepidation and more dignity, secure in their knowledge that their souls will return to their loved ones and their memories will not be forgotten, perhaps therein lies a lesson worth learning for the rest of us.

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By Jayant Neogy – I am a student of travel photography, still searching for the perfect shot of the perfect scene!