The Panteon Islands, Michoacan
Day of the Dead, Patzcuaro
Noche de los Muertos was incredibly interesting, it was a
true mix of tourists from Mexico City and elsewhere, a handful of Northamericans or Europeans, and local indian tribes, who are mostly Catholics, and keep this tradition alive.
There were mobs of people, packed in, in the panteons
(cemetaries) on all of the islands surrounding Patzcuaro...and everything was candlelit and adorned
with marigolds. There was also a lot of drinking
which made it a little dangerous because there were
just too many people in one place, some whom had just lost relatives. There were boatloads of people getting shipped in and out of the islands' cemetaries from the main area of Patzcuaro, all night long. On the day of the dead children, the
main event night where people morn their dead kids, the numbers of people were astronomical and highly uncomfortable, but very unique. We didn't (couldn't) get back to the hotel to rest until 6 AM.
This was an event that I would most liken to the experience I had at Diwali in Veranasi, India, on the nights that people bring dead bodies to the Ganges River and set them on fire. It is very beautiful, but uncomfortable for the uninitiated. Weird smells and scenes of people dancing very ancient
dances with insense, (reminding me of the Nepalese 'Yak Dance') and lots of hard alcohol being consumed - this isn't for the routine tourist. The line between respect for the dead and drunken partying was crossed at many points, but I admit that my understanding of that 'line' is minimal.
The Michoacan tourist board put on some good performances, some nice classical music concert in the church, with the state symphony, for example. At every intersection of town there was an event taking place, showing off regional dance, music, art, and as many vendors as could squeeze in with their goods of coffee, wood, wool, and candied skulls. Regardless, the general population of Patzcuaro seems overwhelmed
with the influx of tourists into their cemetaries (how do you control that??) and just doesn't quite have the resources to accomodate everyone. 100% of the hotels
were overloaded. There were tent cities in the parks and basketball courts, loaded with people who couldn't afford a hotel (and modern day gypsies), and campsites were also full weeks in advance. Very overwhelming..indeed. But all turned out just fine. It was very important to me to go to this event once in my life. It was spectacular.
Noche de los Muertos was incredibly interesting, it was a
true mix of tourists from Mexico City and elsewhere, a handful of Northamericans or Europeans, and local indian tribes, who are mostly Catholics, and keep this tradition alive.
There were mobs of people, packed in, in the panteons
(cemetaries) on all of the islands surrounding Patzcuaro...and everything was candlelit and adorned
with marigolds. There was also a lot of drinking
which made it a little dangerous because there were
just too many people in one place, some whom had just lost relatives. There were boatloads of people getting shipped in and out of the islands' cemetaries from the main area of Patzcuaro, all night long. On the day of the dead children, the
main event night where people morn their dead kids, the numbers of people were astronomical and highly uncomfortable, but very unique. We didn't (couldn't) get back to the hotel to rest until 6 AM.
This was an event that I would most liken to the experience I had at Diwali in Veranasi, India, on the nights that people bring dead bodies to the Ganges River and set them on fire. It is very beautiful, but uncomfortable for the uninitiated. Weird smells and scenes of people dancing very ancient
dances with insense, (reminding me of the Nepalese 'Yak Dance') and lots of hard alcohol being consumed - this isn't for the routine tourist. The line between respect for the dead and drunken partying was crossed at many points, but I admit that my understanding of that 'line' is minimal.
The Michoacan tourist board put on some good performances, some nice classical music concert in the church, with the state symphony, for example. At every intersection of town there was an event taking place, showing off regional dance, music, art, and as many vendors as could squeeze in with their goods of coffee, wood, wool, and candied skulls. Regardless, the general population of Patzcuaro seems overwhelmed
with the influx of tourists into their cemetaries (how do you control that??) and just doesn't quite have the resources to accomodate everyone. 100% of the hotels
were overloaded. There were tent cities in the parks and basketball courts, loaded with people who couldn't afford a hotel (and modern day gypsies), and campsites were also full weeks in advance. Very overwhelming..indeed. But all turned out just fine. It was very important to me to go to this event once in my life. It was spectacular.
posted by Akire at 12:24 PM
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