Dia de Meurtos Alter


Where we are today

Getting South
We are on a fast track heading South making marvelous time. The weather has been great for the overnighters that we are doing.
We headed out of Mazatlan to La Cruz a 30 hr trip. It was Nov 01 which is a 2 day celebration of Dia de Meurtos. This would be Mexico’s most characteristic yet oddest fiestas. It is the festival of the Day of the Dead. It got its origins from the pre-Hispanic people of Michocan that the dead could return to their homes one day each year.
The underlying philosophy is that death does not represent the end of a life, but the continuation of the same life in a parallel world. The occasion called for preparation to make sure the spirit came back to the world. An alter was set up with bright yellow marigolds. Tamales, fruit corn and salt were in each home, Containers of water were always present as it was believed that the spirits were thirsty. The spirits of the children visited on the first night and the spirits of the adults on the second day. They join their living relatives for dinner, drinks , singing and dancing in the cemetery.
The combination of the Dia de Meurtos and All Saint’s Day with the Catholics joined the holiday together to become what it is today. It was very interesting.
Now we have been catching muchos peces (fish). American Thanksgiving will be here and a bird would be nice. Well Ken fished and caught a bird. Thanksgiving ……. Not. It did deserve its fate. We tried to get it to go away.
We are now in Zihuatanjo and head out tomorrow for Acapulco. Another long night. I am looking forward to the cliff divers. As a kid I remember watching them dive on CBC Sports.

Sorry but it drowned!