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.

Day of the Dead: A Pictorial Archive of Dia de Los Muertos

I just received this fantastic book from the folks at Amazon. Day of the Dead: A Pictorial Archive of Dia de los Muertos by Jean Moss is, at a little less than fourteen bucks, an amazing buy. Included with the book is a CD with ALL 187 of the images enclosed on it. Virtually every José Guadalupe Posada woodcut associated with Dia de los Muertos is included, among the works of other artists. Best of all, the images are royalty-free!

Purchase the book here!

Documentary DVDs about Dia de los Muertos

I own three documentary DVDs about Dia de los Muertos, varying in quality. The first, and best is "Tradiciones Mexicanas: Dia de Muertos." This one is presented entirely in Spanish, but English subtitles are available. This documentary goes deep into many of the traditions, and includes recipe demonstrations for making molé.

Order Tradiciones Mexicanas: Dia de Muertos here!


The second is "Food for the Ancestors: The Mexican Celebration of the Days of the Dead," produced by PBS. Similar in format to "Tradiciones Mexicanas: Dia de Muertos," it relates the heritage of food and how it relates to Dia de los Muertos.



"The Day of the Dead" was the first documentary about Dia de los Muertos I found on DVD, and I've had it for a few years now. This DVD focuses on Dia de los Muertos celebrations in California, and features the Latin band Quetzal. Lots of great music on this one!

Order Food for the Ancestors here!


Order Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Family and Life here!

All these DVDs are fairly available, and are extremely reasonable! I bought "Tradiciones Mexicanas: Dia de Muertos" for about six dollars!


There are a few movies that have Dia de los Muertos themes. The first notable one is John Huston's 1984 film adaptation of Malcolm Lowery's "Under the Volcano." There are numerous film sequences of ofrendas and accurately depicted scenes at a cemetery. The opening title montage has a fantastic sequence of traditional Dia de los Muertos folk art.


Under the Volcano can be ordered here!

Robert Rodriguez's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" features a Dia de los Muertos parade sequence, and with Johnny Depp, Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas, is just a heckuva fun film anyway!


Once Upon a Time in Mexico can be ordered here!

"El Muerto / The Dead One" starring Wilmer Valderrama of "That 70s Show" is a low-budget movie that plays liberally with elements of Dia de los Muertos, but is still worth a peek. It's based on Javier Hernandez' "El Muerto" comic book.


El Muerto / The Dead One can be ordered here!

Dia de los Muertos - Morelos at Mercado Mayapan - November 1, 2009

Mercado Mayapan (Centro Mayapan / La Mujer Obrera) hosted the largest Dia de los Muertos event in El Paso this year. 2009 was dedicated to the Mexican state of Morelos. Attendance has grown almost every year at Mercado Mayapan's Dia de los Muertos event.

The events throughout the city were more limited as opposed to a few years ago. 2007 was an exceptional year for events, including the culture cruise throughout town (and in Ciudad Juarez — just a few months before violence in the city erupted). 2009 was the first year that the city had not hosted its own event (or partnered with a sponsor) in quite a while. One can only assume that budget cutbacks and the state of the economy are reasons for the slimming of events. Let's hope we can get back on track — Dia de los Muertos is good for the culture of the city and the area.

The photos below are from the celebration at Mercado Mayapan, on November 1, 2009

Dia de los Muertos events in Mesilla, New Mexico - October 31, 2009

A few photos from the annual Dia de los Muertos event on the plaza in Mesilla, New Mexico. Photos from October 31, 2009.