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Ann Murdy | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Día de los Muertos en Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca 2012 tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Día de los Muertos en Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca 2012

In October and November 2012, I returned to Teotitlán del Valle to continue working on my home altar project. Los Días de los Muertos is the most important celebration in this Zapotec village. For every home that I visited I brought pan de muerto (day of the dead bread) to add to the altar and velas (tapers). Bread is considered to be the staff of life and it provides nourishment for the returning souls. Candles help light the altar and guide the soul home. When I presented the ladies of the home with their pan de muerto they kissed the loaf of bread before they put it on their altar. Tamales are a popular food during this time of year. The tortillas are made by hand and the sauce is made from chiles guajillo, masa, yerba santa and chicken soup. They're wrapped in corn leaves and stuffed with chicken. They are cooked in an olla pot for ten minutes. In each home the ladies were planning on making one hundred tamales. When visitors come to each home they are served a plate of pan de muerto along with a cup of hot chocolate. Mezcal and beer are also popular beverages as well.

There is a daily market in Teotitlán del Valle. On October 31st it was packed as all the ladies were buying their pan de muerto, chocolate, candles, flowers, fruit, mezcal and other items to decorate their altars.

At 3:00 PM on November 1st there was an explosion of fireworks announcing the arrival of the spirits of the dead. For the next twenty-four hours the church bells rang non-stop until 3:00 PM on November 2nd. Afterwards the people went to the panteón (cemetery) to spend time with their family members. This year inside the chapel a special ceremony took place. This ceremony was known as "levantada de la cruz" (raising of the cross). This year there was a sand painting or tapete inside the capilla (chapel). This custom comes from a ceremony known as a novenario (a nine day prayer vigil). Under normal circumstances these sand paintings would only be seen in the privacy of a home. They are created after an individual has died and the body is still inside the house. For nine days after the death the novenario takes place. During this time prayers are said along with a feast where food and alcohol are served. Sometimes a band is hired to play music. After nine days, the padrinos (godfathers) of the departed gather up the sand painting and place it in a container. From here they take the container along with the coffin and place it in the grave of the deceased at the cemetery. This ceremony "the raising of the cross" releases the spirit. The rezadores (men who sing prayers) in Teotiltlán del Valle were in charge of this ceremony in the capilla. There were five numbered sections on this sand painting. The first is the corona or the crown of Christ, the second and third are the arms of Christ, the fourth is his wound and the fifith represents his feet. The rezadores lead the prayers while they selected five people from the local government to sweep up the tapete. The tapete was swept up with corn husks. All of this occurred to the accompaniment of a live band playing a dirge inside the capilla.

All and all, Teotitlán del Valle is a very special place to witness Los Días de los Muertos.
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Delante el altar
Delante el altar
Detail of Hermelinda's altar
Detail of Hermelinda's altar
Detail of Rosa's altar
Detail of Rosa's altar
Nicolasa and Lorenzo
Nicolasa and Lorenzo
Comida para los muertos
Comida para los muertos
Petra holding pan de muerto
Petra holding pan de muerto
Rosa al lado el altar
Rosa al lado el altar
Felicita con un plato de fruta
Felicita con un plato de fruta
Altar con la  Virgen de la Juquila
Altar con la Virgen de la Juquila
Altar a la casa de Zacarias
Altar a la casa de Zacarias
Detail of altar for angelito
Detail of altar for angelito
Altar a la casa de Felipe
Altar a la casa de Felipe
Altar a la casa de Don Isaac
Altar a la casa de Don Isaac
Hermelinda in front of her altar
Hermelinda in front of her altar
Detail of Felecita's altar
Detail of Felecita's altar
Praying in front of the altar
Praying in front of the altar
Lorenzo and Nicolasa's altar
Lorenzo and Nicolasa's altar
Detail of Altar at Hermelinda's house
Detail of Altar at Hermelinda's house
Photo on Carlos's altar
Photo on Carlos's altar
Altar a la casa de Rosa
Altar a la casa de Rosa
Carlos enfrente el altar
Carlos enfrente el altar
Detail of Gaspar's altar
Detail of Gaspar's altar
La Familia de Felipe y Eligio
La Familia de Felipe y Eligio
Petra
Petra
Con pan y mezcal
Con pan y mezcal
Altar a la casa de Elena
Altar a la casa de Elena
Hermelinda con su espoa y nieta
Hermelinda con su espoa y nieta
Una vela y comida
Una vela y comida
Detail of Petra's altar
Detail of Petra's altar
Tapete de arena con velas
Tapete de arena con velas
Altar a la casa del hermano de Carlos
Altar a la casa del hermano de Carlos
Tapete de arena en la igelesia
Tapete de arena en la igelesia
Tapete de arena dentro de la capilla
Tapete de arena dentro de la capilla
Altar para un Angelito
Altar para un Angelito
Santos y pan
Santos y pan
Detail of Sand Painting in Panteón
Detail of Sand Painting in Panteón
Making the tamales
Making the tamales
Nicolasa preprando los tamales
Nicolasa preprando los tamales
Taking tamales out of olla pot
Taking tamales out of olla pot
Felicita with her tamales
Felicita with her tamales
Adding sauce to the tamales
Adding sauce to the tamales
Tamales para los muertos
Tamales para los muertos
Emilia starting the fire
Emilia starting the fire
Preparing the tamales
Preparing the tamales
Felicita preparing the tamales
Felicita preparing the tamales
Petra preparing the tamales
Petra preparing the tamales
Buying Pan de Muerto
Buying Pan de Muerto
Detail of Pan de Muerto
Detail of Pan de Muerto
Emilia rolling out the masa
Emilia rolling out the masa
En el mercado
En el mercado
La Vendaora de las flores
La Vendaora de las flores
Putting sauce on the tortillas
Putting sauce on the tortillas
Pollo para los tamales
Pollo para los tamales
Masa para los tamales
Masa para los tamales
Taquitos for sale
Taquitos for sale
Felicita preparing the mole
Felicita preparing the mole
La Vendora de cempasúchil
La Vendora de cempasúchil
Shopping
Shopping
La Vendadora
La Vendadora
Velas
Velas
Carlos con el niño y nieto
Carlos con el niño y nieto
Una mañana muy ocupada
Una mañana muy ocupada
Tomba con agua y fruta
Tomba con agua y fruta
Comprando las flores
Comprando las flores
Mano de León
Mano de León
In the market
In the market
Flowers and Squash
Flowers and Squash
Pan de Muerto
Pan de Muerto
El mercado
El mercado
Felicita preprando el pollo
Felicita preprando el pollo
Emilia preparing the fire
Emilia preparing the fire
Open for business
Open for business
Comprando las flores
Comprando las flores
Shopping frenzy
Shopping frenzy
Mezcal for sale
Mezcal for sale
El Día del Mercado
El Día del Mercado
Grave with ceramic pumpkin
Grave with ceramic pumpkin
Shopping Teotitlan
Shopping Teotitlan
Tomba con cerveza
Tomba con cerveza
Adding calla lilies
Adding calla lilies
Decorating Grave
Decorating Grave
Roses on top of floral cross
Roses on top of floral cross
Off to decorate the grave
Off to decorate the grave
Playing in the Panteón
Playing in the Panteón
Los Mariachis
Los Mariachis
En el panteón
En el panteón
Decorating the grave
Decorating the grave
Thumbs Up
Thumbs Up
Grave decorated with calla lilies
Grave decorated with calla lilies
El Panteón
El Panteón
Floral detail on grave
Floral detail on grave
Los Rezadores
Los Rezadores
Altar en capilla
Altar en capilla
Floral display on grave
Floral display on grave
Rezadores adding candles
Rezadores adding candles
Mariachi Musician
Mariachi Musician
La Música
La Música
Musical Serenade
Musical Serenade
Las flores sobre la tomba
Las flores sobre la tomba
Decorated grave with floral cross
Decorated grave with floral cross
Con pan enfrente el altar
Con pan enfrente el altar
Nicolasa adding the sauce
Nicolasa adding the sauce
Felecita holding pan de muerto
Felecita holding pan de muerto
Pan de Muerto y Chocolate
Pan de Muerto y Chocolate
Marigold Cross
Marigold Cross
Detail of Cristo
Detail of Cristo
Adding candles
Adding candles
The Destroyed Sand Painting
The Destroyed Sand Painting
Grave Decorating
Grave Decorating
Adding candles to the altar
Adding candles to the altar
Los Rezadores en la capilla
Los Rezadores en la capilla
A quiet morning
A quiet morning
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