Few cultures celebrate November 1st with as much vehemence as the Mexican culture. What in Spain we consider the Feast of All Saints, seconded by the Day of the Faithful Dead In Mexico it is known as the Day of the Dead and commemorates both days.
Less sacrosanct is the Halloween option, but really all celebrations have a component between religious and pagan which, in the Mexican case, is gaining followers year after year.
Among the most deeply rooted traditions to understand the Day of the Dead, perhaps the most relevant is the presentation of what is known as the Altar of the Dead. Made domestically, each home presents a small altar in a room of the house where They place food, sugar skulls, flowers and aromas, candles and also everyday objects of the deceased, as well as images.
Clear example of syncretism between pre-Columbian Mesoamerican religions and the introduction of Christianityaltars for the dead can be more or less elaborate, including different heights in which different worldviews between heaven, earth or universe are represented.
The example has grown to such a crescendo that, in Madrid, the Casa de México has been commemorating this festival for several years with the placement of an altar of the dead. Free access and Visitable until next November 12the altar of the dead of 2023 commemorates the lives of 30 Mexican women who have transcended history, including artists, journalists, singers, scientists or politicians such as María Izquierdo, Lola Beltrán or La Malinche with the theme ‘Let not even death separate us ‘.
As is usual, on the altars of the dead there is no shortage of marigold flowers, which in Spain we call tagete, and which presents a orange coloring that makes it very common on altars of the dead. Also present is papel picado, an evolution of the amate paper used by pre-Columbian cultures, and which adds color to this type of designs, which on this occasion is also crowned by an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Latin America.
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In the case of the altar of the house in Mexico, can be visited from Monday to Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. To do this you have to register on this website, although you can also visit without prior reservation, standing in line from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
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