Cempasuchil (Flor de Muerto) at Centro Mayapan - El Paso, Texas - 2010

Cempasuchil (Flor de Muerto) at Centro Mayapan, El Paso, Texas, October 30, 2010.

Folklorico dancers, Centro Mayapan, Dia de los Muertos - El Paso, 2010

This year's Dia de los Muertos celebration at Centro Mayapan was in honor of Mexico's state of Chiapas.

Ofrendas, Centro Mayapan, Dia de los Muertos El Paso, 2010

 

This ofrenda was for Don Tosti, El Paso "pachuco" bandleader and musician, and one of the original zoot suiters, an underground movement which started here in El Paso in the 1930s. El Paso's nickname "El Chuco" is a shortened form of "pachuco." Tosti wrote the song "Pachuco Boogie" and many others songs which incorporate caló, the slang dialect often used by pachucos. There are still a few elders in El Paso still speak caló.

Ofrendas from Dia de los Muertos at Centro Mayapan. Photos taken October 30, 2010.

Cempasuchil (Flor de Muerto) at my home

This is the third year I have successfully grown cempasuchil (flor de muerto) at my home. Cempasuchil is also known as Mexican marigold, and grows much taller than the traditional marigolds we can buy at a store. They are approximately three feet tall, and are the traditional flor de muerto (flower of the dead) used to decorate ofrendas during Dia de los Muertos. They are easily reseeded every year. I started mine with flowers from the Dia de los Muertos celebration that I got at Centro Mayapan in 2007. These photos were taken on October 30, 2010 in my back yard. Although they are quite hardy, they are native to Oaxaca, and need more water here in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Pan de Muerto, Ranch Market, El Paso, Texas

The Ranch Market in El Paso has Pan de Muerto (at the amazingly low price of $1.29!) this year. I picked up two different types today — the more traditional type with cinnamon and sugar on top and one with sesame seeds on top!

Artwork for Dia de los Muertos - Centro Mayapan 2010

Here is the artwork for the Centro Mayapan 2010 Dia de los Muertos event!

Dia de los Muertos art show at Nopalito's Gallery - Las Cruces

Nopalito's Gallery in Las Cruces will be hosting a Dia de los Muertos art exhibit through November 30. The gallery is located at 326 S. Mesquite Street. On October 30, artist's receptions will be held at 4PM and 6PM. Among the artists are Rosario Jeremias, Requel Ortiz, Jean de la O, Irma Lee, Lorenzo Zepeda and Patricia Lawrence. Nopalito's Gallery is open from 1 to 3 PM Fridays and noon to 4PM Saturdays.

Dia de los Muertos 101 - A Guide to Day of the Dead

Here's a link to a nice article on Las Cruces Sun-News writer S. Derrickson Moore's blog, Las Cruces Style. Many definitions about Dia de los Muertos!

Las Cruces Style Dia de los Muertos 101 - A Guide to Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos 2010 events in Las Cruces and Mesilla

The Las Cruces Sun News has posted a calendar of events going on in Las Cruces and Mesilla. The annual displays on the square in Old Mesilla are listed, as well as events and gallery displays at the Branigan Cultural Center.

Las Cruces and Mesilla events are posted here!

A few El Paso Dia de los Muertos events...

Some Dia de los Muertos events in the El Paso area are starting to trickle in.

On Saturday, October 30, the El Paso Public Library is celebrating the Great Southwest Book Festival at the library's downtown location, 501 N. Oregon.

From 11AM to 12:30PM, Donna Snyder and Raquel Mejia will host a creative writing workshop on writing calaveras. Besides the literal translation of "skulls," calaveras are also poems which are written for the Day of the Dead, but are intended to be critical of the living in a humorous way.

At noon, there will be a kids Dia de los Muertos costume parade.

Other non-Dia de los Muertos events will also as part of the festival, including keynote speaker (and former coworker of mine) David Dorado Romo, author of the fantastic "Ringside Seat to a Revolution," a study on many of the underground happenings and lesser-known history of El Paso and Juarez.

For the full schedule of events, visit: El Paso Public Library Dia de los Muertos 2010 events

Dia de los Muertos - Centro Mayapan 2010

Not a lot of info yet, but according to the Mercado Mayapan / La Mujer Obrera Web site, this year's Dia de los Muertos event will be representative of Chiapas, and will be held Saturday, October 30 and Sunday, October 31 from 3-10 PM. I'll post more data as it becomes available.