DAYS OF THE LIVING DEAD

Centered around All Saints and All Souls Days on Nov. 1 and 2, preparations begin this month. Here on the coast, it is customary for local families to visit the cemeteries on Oct. 15 to clean them and leave small offerings of flowers on the graves and to issue a symbolic invitation to the spirits of the dead to return in two weeks for their special fiesta.

Towards the end of the month people flock to the markets to buy the necessary goods to build their altars and honor the dead.

There are new dishes to buy (used plates just wouldn't do to receive the spirits of the dead), the many herbs, spices and other ingredients to make the rich mole, chocolate, nuts, sweets, candy skulls, candles, incense and skeleton figures, games and toys. And, most importantly of all, the flowers: bright red coxcombs, white lilies, all manner of wild flowers and especially marigolds, cempasúchitl, the flower of the dead.

All of these will be used to decorate elaborate altars in homes, businesses and the cemeteries to welcome the spirits of the dead back to the world of the living.

The observance of All Saints and All Souls Days was initiated by Pope Gregory in the 9th century and introduced into the New World shortly after the Conquest. It won ready acceptance because it meshed so easily with the beliefs and attitudes towards death of the indigenous people.

The cult of death was present in all of the cultures of Meso-America, nowhere stronger than among the peoples of Oaxaca. Mitla, one of the state's major archeological sites, means "place of the dead" and the pyramids of Monte Alban housed fabulous tombs filled with great treasures to accompany the departed.

In the modern era, the work of the satirist and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada, who used the skeleton motif to lambaste political figures and social injustice, created a resurgence of death imagery in popular art.

These skeleton images are called calaveras or "skulls". And they are seen everywhere, from the political cartoons on the opinion pages of the newspapers to children's toys and games. Calaveras is also the name for the humorous, if macabre, poems that are composed about the untimely demise of political leaders, friends and loved ones, even though they may still be alive.

Far from being solemn or morbid, the Day of the Dead celebrations are highly festive in tone. They celebrate the continuity of life and strengthen the links to the past. Death is the supreme equalizer; no matter how unjust the world might be, we all face the same fate. Rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, the wise and the ignorant, all, at that final hour, are destined to become bones and dust.

On the last days of the month the entire family prepares the household altar. A clean cloth is set out on a platform, arches of cane or reeds are built above it. Flowers are arranged, fruit, nuts, bowls of candy, candles and incense are laid out with photos of dead family members, religious icons and the ubiquitous, whimsical calaveras. They are made of wood, ceramic or cardboard and show the dead involved in all the activities of the living, from carousing in the cantina to visiting the dentist. Padrecitos ("little fathers") are small figurines bearing coffins. They are made with painted garbanzo beans for heads and painted paper robes.

The altars are true works of art and proudly displayed in a place of prominence. (See for yourself: On Nov. 1 and 2, there will be an exhibition of altars at Parque el Idilio)

On the night of Oct. 30 the women work all night to prepare the special foods for the following days when first the angelitos - the souls of the children who went straight to Heaven, since they were free of sin - and then the adult souls arrive to visit their families and enjoy the pleasures they once enjoyed.

It is a remarkable time to be in the state of Oaxaca, to marvel at the creativity and spiritual strength of its people.

Death is not viewed as an enemy to be feared, but as an inevitability that serves to affirm the indestructibility of the human spirit.

THE FAMILY ALTAR

The arc is decorated with flowers, particularly the aromatic marigold, cempasúchitl, "the flower of the dead." Other essentials are candles, bread of the dead, a bowl of water, copal incense and fruits, such as oranges, bananas, limes, nuts and peanuts, and especially the local crab apples known as tejocote, which are often strung on string and hung around the altar. All these ingredients represent one of the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water.

Dishes containing the deceased's favorite foods are also on the altar: mole, chocolate or squash cooked with brown sugar, for example. You must also place gifts of items the departed used to enjoy: alcohol, cigarettes, or a special candy, and the image of the saint they were devoted to.

Add the whimsical skeleton figurines and, don't forget, it's impossible to use too many flowers, especially cempasúchitl, which, because of their brilliant color, are believed to help guide the spirits of the dead on their journey during the night to find their way home.

BREAD OF THE DEAD

1. Dissolve the yeast in 4 Tbsp. of warm water, add 1/2 cup of flour and form a small ball of smooth dough. Let sit for 15 minutes in a warm place until it has risen to twice its original size.
2. Sift the flour with the salt and sugar; form a basin and put in 3 eggs, the 5 yolks, the margarine, orange zest and sugar water. Knead it well.
3. Add the small ball of dough. Knead it well and leave in a warm spot for an hour. It should double in size again.
4. Knead it again. Form loafs of the size desired and put them in greased pans.
5. Mix the 2 eggs for basting and to make the dough sticky.
6. Adorn the loaves with bones, tears and other shapes made from the same dough and baste with egg mixture. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
7. Bake in a preheated medium oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove and let cool.