Placita OlveraDia de Los Muertos

Erika CabralesAnthro 121

Dr. Leanne Wolfe11/19/13

Traditionally, people would eat the favorite foods of the dead loved ones. However, for this event on Olvera’s Dia de Los Muertos, food will sometimes be provided. Usually they have comfort foods like agua fresca, atole de calabasa, tamales, mole, and sugar skulls. At placita Olvera, food stands were placed around the main stage that gave samples and charged snacks. For regular meals, people gathered at the Callejon, or street market, where restaurants are open.

Around the main stage, artists establish posts, alongside the food, to provide people with free make up as a way of incorporating local citizens in the celebration. The face painting designs are a mixture of Catholic beliefs with the religions of indigenous Mexican people. The design resembles a skull known as a calavera, a symbol of triumph over the fear of death. Often times, the face paint also incorporates flowers, giving it a new symbolism of death, life, and love

Children are not as perceptive as adults, thus, activities are provided for them along with candies and treats to entertain them while the family pays their respect to the dead. One of the activities for the kids is a coloring booth. Crayons and coloring pages are provided for the children. The skull with added eyeballs is made with a more playful, goofy look for the kids. This particular stand was placed near the one of the artists stands for face painting.

Having altars is one of the most important aspects for Day of the Dead celebration. Altars are used to commemorate the lives of those who have passed away. On the lower right hand side there is pan de los muertos, bread of the dead, which tastes like nothing, is typically placed on altars as well. The bread is decorated with bone-like pieces and often baked in round shapes to represent the cycle of life. This altar honors the lives of those who have died from drinking alcohol .

The areas used for altars are cleaned and at times can be placed on covered tables as a display. The table cloth can vary from plain to vibrant colors and then set up with the proper offerings. Offerings used include washing items for cleansing the spirit of the dead, pan de los muertos, and any other significant item that the dead people enjoyed when they were alive. Decorations include candles to help guide, paper cut outs, crosses, portraits, and cempasuchil flowers; orange marigold used by the Aztecs to remember their dead and used to guide souls to altars.

The plaza, located further from the performance stage, blasts Mexican music varying from cumbia, rock, and salsa. This area is open for the public to enjoy the music and dance in a lively manner. Couples are not necessary for these dances and many often danced alone. Dia de los Muertos is a celebration, and music plays a vital role in bringing a joyous atmosphere.

Costumes for this celebration is done accordingly to the region that is holding the event. At Olvera, the dresses vary but are accommodated for each type of dance. For this dance, the women had to wear special dresses that allowed them to twirl and make large circles to portray the dance of the spiral of rebirth. Dancers with half of their face painted, turn their faces in a profile rather than full frontal, to give a sense of life and death. The dance topic was of couples, cycling through their lives

Ballet folklore is one of the main dances that we see at Olvera for this celebration and ranges depending on the region with mariachi music. The topics for each dance varies and can depict Mexican culture, history and folklore. In contrast to the previous dress, these women wore much more colorful dresses, full face paint and their dresses could not make large circles. This dance topic was first childlike and upbeat, then the next song came as a dedication to the dead by mimcking movements of sad women.

This dance is known as Jarabe Tapatio, or Mexican Hat Dance that is performed by a man and woman to portray courtship. The man’s dance is done to seduce the woman and progresses through in a flirtatious manner until the woman accepts his romances. Generally, Dia de Los Muertos has loud music and often clap, cheer, and tap dance to wake up the dead.

Dances are not the only live entertainment done on Dia de Los Muertos. Theater performances are also done. The group, teatro Tatalejos, perform a play of jesters and fools who joke in Spanish about Mexican politics, social behaviors, and history. Because this is being celebrated in the U.S., the actors also incorporate jokes of Mexican-Americans to appeal to the crowd. The do not perform on stage but rather around it to interact with the audience and be around the crowd.