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Celebrating Day of the Dead, High in Mexico’s Mountains
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- In Metlatónoc, a remote Indigenous town in southern Mexico, the Na Savi people observe a 10-day Celebration of the Dead, blending ancestral Mixtec beliefs with Catholic rites to honor the dead as spirits who return to visit the living.
- The festival features firecrackers, marigolds, copal incense, dances, and processions aimed at summoning the souls of the departed, reflecting the belief that death is a passage rather than an end.
- Unlike the common two-day Day of the Dead celebrations elsewhere in Mexico, Metlatónoc's extended observance underscores the community's deep-rooted spiritual traditions and connection to their ancestors.
- The holiday serves as a poignant moment of remembrance and cultural unity in a country often marked by violence, offering families a chance to confront mortality and celebrate life beyond death.
- Many former residents, like Celso Guevara who now lives in California, return annually to participate in the celebration, emphasizing the enduring importance of this ritual in maintaining cultural identity and familial bonds.
