DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

A SAN ANTONIO TRADITION REVIVES CONNECTION

BY CHRISTINA GARCIA

For a few hours every November, the souls of the dead reconnect with the living, according to Día de los Muertos tradition. These hours taste like pan de muerto, a pastry flavored with anise and orange. The time smells like marigolds, an unmistakable musk from lush, wrinkled petals. Beautiful skeletons stalk the streets in parades, dressed to the nines in f lower crowns. Día de los Muertos sparks a city-wide celebration in San Antonio each year, now known as one of the nation’s largest to embrace the meaningful observance.

Visit the Alamo City for spectacular floating parades along the River Walk, large outdoor concerts at HemisFair Park, and the installation of countless altars decked with meaningful tributes to people and pets loved in life.

New World, Old Customs

Bright and colorful as papel picado, a Mexican paper craft, this holiday brings our cherished past connections up to be enjoyed, re-lived in memory, and shared with others. Vibrant costumes of skeletons, or calacas, and faces painted like skulls, or calaveras, put an approachable spin on the traditions that stretch back thousands of years to the indigenous Nahua and Aztec heritage of marking communion with the dead. That folklore in place, Catholic and Christian conquerors merged their own pagan and European practices with customs observed in the New World. Thus, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day coincide with Día de los Muertos today.

Marigolds for La Muerte

This joyful ritual includes personal remembrances of those no longer with us and a communal sense of honoring death. Spanish traditions of visiting graves with flowers and candles remain important. Bringing bread to the grave, another Spanish tradition, lives in a Mexican pan dulce, or “sweet bread” called pan de muerto, bread of the dead, presented at altars. Nahua people believed that the souls of the dead faced nine challenges before being allowed to rest in Mictlán, and because of this, the Nahua often left helpful tools on their altars. Today, the tools have mostly given way to foods and drinks for the dead, particularly their old favorites, but every altar is unique and can include photos, momentos, or simply tortillas and fruit. If people remember to leave these ofrendas, or offerings, the souls of their loved ones can find their way to the living.

San Antonio Soul

San Antonio fetes Día de los Muertos with major events across historic sites worth a visit even outside of the November affair. From October 11 to November 14, Día de los Muertos at the Missions, behind Mission Concepcion, focuses on a quiet celebration of altars and ofrendas for the dead at Padre Margil Pilgrimage Center. Other small ofrendas can be found at The Pearl, The Briscoe Museum, and even the San Antonio Zoo. On October 24, the 7th Day of the Dead River Parade will glide more than two dozen floats down the River Walk after dark. At the historic neighborhood known as La Villita, a Day of the Dead Festival lasts from October 24 to 26 with lots of food vendors, artisan crafts, and alebrijes, mythical Mexican figures made up of many types of animals. From October 25-26, the 12th annual Muertos Fest at Hemisfair Park will present live music, processions, workshops, and a market. This is the event once

named a Best Fall Fest by National Geographic.

On the same days, Market Square fans should enjoy visiting the original chili-queen hawker site for plenty of the same delicious food available year round, with more activities for kids and performances for all. November 1 rings in the Día de los Muertos at Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, where self-taught folk artists share their wares. Also to be announced is the official day for the 48th annual Día de los Muertos at Centro Cultural Aztlan with Avenida de los Muertos Arts and Crafts mercadito, or market.

For many, Día de los Muertos is a comforting way to maintain ties with those no longer present in life. For others, it’s a time to learn about traditions, like the Calavera Catrina figure created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada in 1911, still in use today. The roots of this two-day party stretch back thousands of years, but today’s living tradition has seen its popularity rise, with events like those in San Antonio becoming some of the most exciting in America.