Ghosts, goblins and Gonzales-Gonzales
I am the ghost of Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales, a guy so nice, they named me twice. My mother was a Mexican dancer known as "La Perla Fronteriza" who once danced for Pancho Villa and his men. You can imagin...
read more
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) in Chapala
Mexico's most intriguing holiday, is linked to a rich variety of popular customs that offer resident expatriates an excellent opportunity to soak in the culture of their adopted home. Here are some sug...
read more
Burying Eula - A Day Of The Dead Story
Eula died during the rainy season, when the earth is soft and moist and a grave is easy to dig. Esperanza said that the damp weather was hard on the ancianos, and indeed, in those months, many a house in town bore over its gate the black ribbon which in central Mexico signifies a death in the household.
read moreDay of the Dead - A Celebration
Rituals and traditions can provide a sense of place and timelessness. They offer us the opportunity of feeling connected to what has gone before and what will continue through the corridors of time. It...
read more
Day of the Dead or alive
In some countries, this time of year is referred to as Halloween and in others, such as Mexico, it's The Day of the Dead, even though, technically, it lasts four days. (In Oaxaca, the Day of the Dead b...
read more
Los Dias de los Muertos (the Days of the Dead)
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Los Dias de Los Muertos than any of Mexico's other fiestas. At first glance, Day of the Dead decorations, colored paper garlands, little skel...
read more
Village in the Sun by Dane Chandos
I reviewed Chandos's other book, "House in the Sun", in Mexico Connect a couple of months ago and now I'm catching up on what was actually the author's first book, published four years earlier. We're given a good long loving look at the various events that mark a typical year in a Mexican village - like The Day of the Dead, the Day of the Cross, Navidad, birthdays and the other festivals that are customarily celebrated. It all adds up to an attractive narrative.
read more
Dia de los Muertos: the dead come to life in Mexican folk art
For foreigners, the traditions and celebrations in Mexican homes and cemeteries during the Day of the Dead seem strange, if not incomprehensible. There is mourning and rejoicing; sadness and silliness ...
read more
Mexico conjures spirits with picturesque ofrendas
Unique observances that exemplify the fusion of Mesoamerican and European cultures, particularly regarding religious practices, render Mexico's celebration of los Dias de los Muertos as the most distinctive holiday on the nation's calendar.
read more
Day of the Dead in Mexico: A personal perspective
This article is provided by the Chapala Review a monthly Newspaper published in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. The focus is the Lake Chapala area. The goal is to provide quality information about the area, i...
read more
Day of the Dead: death and decoration in Oaxaca
The panteon (cemetery) in San Felipe del Agua, a suburb of Oaxaca, decorated for Day of the Dead. Photography by Diana Ricci
All my life, I have been a coward about death and dying. It's all so unsan...
read more
A small mound in the cemetery in Xoxocotlan, Mexico
November first is children's day in the series of remembrances and festivities that are known as Dias de los Muertos (days of the dead). On this day, the souls of departed children migrate to the homes...
read more