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Flowers arranged on a grave,
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What are the Days of the Dead?
This is an ancient festivity that has been much transformed through the years, but which was intended in Prehispanic Mexico to celebrate children and the dead. Hence, the best way to describe this Mexican holiday is to say that it is time when Mexican families remember their dead and the continuity of life.
Two important things to know about the Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) are:
1. It is a holiday with a complex history, and therefore its observance varies quite a bit by region and by degree of urbanization.
2. It is not a morbid occasion, but rather a festive time.
The original celebration can be traced to many Mesoamerican native traditions. In the Aztec calendar, this ritual fell roughly at the end of the Gregorian month of July and the beginning of August, but in the postconquest era it was moved by Spanish priests so that it coincided with the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve (in Spanish: "Día de Todos Santos.") This was a vain effort to transform the observance from a profane to a Christian celebration. The result is that Mexicans now celebrate the day of the dead during the first two days of November, rather than at the beginning of summer. The modern festivity is characterized by the traditional Mexican blend of ancient aboriginal and Christian features.
Generalizing broadly, the holiday's activities consist of families (1) welcoming their dead back into their homes, and (2) visiting the graves of their close kin. At the cemetery, family members engage in sprucing up the gravesite, decorating it with flowers, setting out and enjoying a picnic, and interacting socially with other family and community members who gather there. In both cases, celebrants believe that the souls of the dead return and are all around them. Families remember the departed by telling stories about them.
The Days of the Dead can range from being a very important cultural event, with defined social and economic responsibilities for participants, to being a religious observance featuring actual worship of the dead, to simply being a uniquely Mexican holiday characterized by special foods and confections. In general, the more urban the setting within Mexico the less religious and cultural importance is retained by observants, while the more rural and indigenous the locality the greater the religious and economic import of the holiday. Oaxaca is an ideal location to observe this special holiday.
From: Salvador, R. J. (2003). What Do Mexicans Celebrate On The Day Of The Dead? Pp. 75-76, In Death And Bereavement In The Americas. Death, Value And Meaning Series, Vol. II. Morgan, J. D. And P. Laungani (Eds.) Baywood Publishing Co., Amityville, New York.
Travel program: Arts and Culture of Mexico, an overview:
This travel program to Mexico, planned especially for Linda Fowler and Tracy Rieger, will have a strong focus on the arts of Mexico, from the Mesoamerican art we’ll see at Teotihuacan and Monte Alban to the very best of the local contemporary folk artists of Oaxaca. We will see the very best of Mexico at one of the most fascinating times of the year to be there. We’ll set the stage with five nights in the heart of Mexico, the capital city, where we’ll learn about the Prehispanic history of the country by visiting the historic Plaza of Three Cultures, the Zocalo (main city square of every city and village in Mexico), and the magnificent archeological site of Teotihuacan. We’ll explore the mural art of the country with visits to the studio homes of Mexico's most famous artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and the stunning Dolores Olmedo Museum.
One day will be spent in colonial Cuernavaca, the “city of eternal spring.” Here we’ll visit the famous Diego mural in the Cortes Palace, have a private tour of the Robert Brady Museum, visit the magnificent gardens of Las Mananitas, and have dinner in a small boutique hotel in the city, prior to our drive back to the capital city.
On Thursday, we’ll drive to the talavera-tile covered city of Puebla, where we’ll visit one of the oldest talavera factories and the magnificent Amparo Museum, with its collection of Prehispanic and Colonial art. After lunch at Tony’s Tacos. we’ll make a brief stop at some of the talavera stores. We’ll continue on to the southern state of Oaxaca, where we’ll arrive in the early evening.
In Oaxaca we’ll spend our time exploring the city and the many small villages around the area, each famous for a different type of folk art. In the villages, we’ll visit the craftsmen and women in their homes and learn about their distinctive art forms. Each day the bustle of activity in the colorful public markets will grow more intense as home and business altars are made ready for the three important days, October 31, November 1 and November 2, which are fast approaching. On October 31, after the impressive procession of the Virgin of the Rosary, we’ll visit two cemeteries and watch families preparing the graves of their loved ones while preparing to spend the entire night welcoming back their spirits.
November 1 is one of the most important days of the year in Mexico, the day spirits return to the family homes. As our final evening in Oaxaca, we’ll spend the evening with one family in the wood-carving village of San Martin Ticaljate, as Epifanio Fuentes and his family warmly welcome us to their home. They’ll explain the altar and the special foods, drink, and activities which characterize this unique night. The Fuentes will host a party for their family, for their visitors, and for the returning spirits of their ancestors; this will be a celebration of both life and death which we will remember long after we return to the United States.
This will be a memorable & activity-filled program, with a strong focus on the arts and culture of Mexico.
Itinerary (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
> Please click here to view a printable version
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Mexico City cathedral,
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Day 1 | Saturday, October 23, 2010 (D)
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Arrival in Mexico City
Activities depending on time of arrival
Welcome dinner near our hotel, orientation to program & itinerary
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 2 | Sunday, October 24, 2010 (B, L)
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Buffet breakfast
We’ll start our art tour of Mexico City, with a visit to the fabulous hacienda home of Dolores Olmedo (home of the largest collections of Diego Rivera’s works, as well as an excellent collection of the art of Frida Kahlo), followed by tours of the studio/home of Diego Rivera (San Angel) and the Blue House (Case Azul) of Frida Kahlo in Coayocan
Lunch at the Dolores Olmedo Museum, surrounded by beautiful gardens
Dinner on your own
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 3 | Monday, October 25, 2010 (B, L)
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Buffet breakfast
We’ll depart early for a visits to the archeological site of Teotihuacan to see the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon; the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe; and the Plaza of Three Cultures, site of much of the most famous events of both Prehispanic and colonial history of Mexico City.
Lunch at a typical local restaurant near the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan
Dinner on your own
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 4 | Tuesday, October 26, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Buffet breakfast
We’ll spend the day in beautiful and colonial city of Cuernavaca, where we’ll have a personal tour of the Brady Museum with its eclectic collection of art, housed in the former home of the Bishop. We’ll walk to the Cortes Palace with one of Diego Rivera’s finest murals, and the VAMOS art studio, where we can talk with the indigenous Nahuatl-speaking artists.
Casual light lunch on the Zocalo
Afternoon visit to several silver stores with wonderful silver from Taxco and Cuernavaca, followed by cocktails at Las Mananitas (on your own)
Dinner at a small exclusive private hotel
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 5 | Wednesday, October 27, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Buffet breakfast
We’ll visit the Zocalo in the heart of Mexico City, including the National Palace with the famous murals by Diego Rivera; the Templo Mayor ruins, (home of the Aztec empire); the Museum of Popular Arts, with an outstanding collection of art from all over Mexico
Lunch, Cafe Tacuba, Zocalo area
Late afternoon free for packing for the drive to Oaxaca on Thursday
Farewell dinner at the Fonda del Recuerdo, lots of Mexican music and dancing
Overnight in Mexico City
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Talavera pottery,
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Day 6 | Thursday, October 28, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Buffet breakfast
This will be a long and exciting day. We’ll have an early departure for the bus trip to Oaxaca, stopping for several hours in the talavera-tile-covered city of Puebla. Four volcanoes, the highest peaks in Mexico, are visible from the city: Popocatépetl (17,883 ft.), Iztaccíhuatl (17,338 ft.), La Malinche (14,632 ft.), and Citlaltépetl (18,855 ft.), also known as the Pico de Orizaba, and the scenery as we drive to Puebla is breathtaking. In Puebla we’ll visit the Uriate talavera, one of the oldest and certainly the most prestigious manufacturer of the famous pottery. We’ll also visit the Amparo Museum, with its beautifully-displayed collection of both Prehispanic and Colonial arts. The museum was created by Mr. Manuel Espinoza Iglesias in memory of his late wife, Amparo, and opened in 1991. After lunch at Tony’s Taco’s we’ll continue on to Oaxaca, driving on a new highway through impressive mountains and canyons, arriving in the evening, for dinner on the loveliest Zocalo in Mexico.
Overnight in Oaxaca
Day 7 | Friday, October 29, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Breakfast on the Zocalo
We’ll travel by bus to a mountainside Zapotec-speaking village of Teotitlan del Valle, where we’ll visit the home and the family of Soledad Vasquez, whose family’s original designs have made their tapetes the most sought-after handwoven wool rugs in the area. Soledad will demonstrate the preparation of natural dyes such as cochineal and indigo, explaining the difference between these and "chemical dyes.” On our drive out in the countryside, we will stop to
admire one of the largest trees in the Western Hemisphere, the Tule Tree, where we’ll have a guided tour by the children who live in the village of Santa Maria de Tule and learn about their famous “rain of sweets” on the feast day of Candelaria.
We will have lunch in the village at a local restaurant in Teotitlan
Dinner at the magnificent old convent, for a performance of the Ballet Folklorico, featuring regional dancing
Overnight in Oaxaca
Day 8 | Saturday, October 30, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Breakfast on the Zocalo
All day visit to several art villages, including the market in Ocotlán, which will be bustling with preparations for the Days of the Dead observances. Where we’ll visit a small museum in a church monastery, restored by the well-known artist, Rudolfo Morales, with examples of the special art of the village. We’ll stop at the home of Josefina Aguilar, the best-known producer of clay figures in the village, and watch a demonstration of the creation of the figures which are sold in some of the finest galleries in Mexico and elsewhere. We’ll also have the opportunity to visit the other three Aguilar sisters, each of whom produces distinctive pottery figures. In Santo Tomas, we’ll visit the women’s open air collective, where cotton belts, table runners, and purses are produced on backstrap looms, and in San Bartolo Coyotepec, famous for the black pottery seen all over Mexico, we’ll watch Valente Nieto, son of Doña Rosa, who rediscovered the process for making black pottery, demonstrate his mother’s famous techniques.
Lunch will be at a local restaurant
Dinner at the Asador Vasco restaurant over looking the Zocalo, with Mexican romantic music
Overnight in Oaxaca
Day 9 | Sunday, October 31, 2010 (B, L)
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Breakfast on the Zocalo
We’ll spend our day in the Oaxaca City today, visiting some of the small shops, the chocolate “factory,” and the crafts area. There is a great deal to see in Oaxaca, and this is a most festive time to see it all.
Lunch at the Cathedral Restaurant
The two main events of the evening, the procession of the Virgin of the Rosary through the streets of Oaxaca and the visits to the cemeteries. After the procession, we will end the evening with visits to two candlelit cemeteries to observe the decorated graves of those family members who have departed but whose spirits will return to be with their loved ones for tonight and tomorrow night.
Dinner will be on your own
Overnight in Oaxaca
Day 10 | Monday, November 1, 2010 (B, L, D)
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Breakfast on the Zocalo
We’ll start our day with a guided tour of the mountaintop archeological site of Monte Alban. We will have a typical Oaxacan lunch at the restaurant at the site, as we look over much of the valley of Oaxaca. The afternoon will be free for visiting the markets and packing. In the evening we’ll return to the village of San Martin and the family patio home of Epifanio Fuentes to welcome back the spirits of the dead of the Fuentes family with candles, special foods, tequila, music, and Oaxaca’s own contribution to the world, mezcal.
Overnight in Oaxaca
Day 11 | Tuesday, November 2, 2010 (B)
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Breakfast at the hotel or at the airport, depending on departure time
Departure for home, with many wonderful memories, lots of photographs and bulging suitcases!!
• Note: This itinerary has been prepared months ahead of the actual trip. There may some very slight changes to take advantage of new opportunities, especially due to the Day of the Dead observances.
General information for travel seminar participants
Travel Seminar Coordinators
Linda Fowler and Tracy Rieger are co-owners and co-directors of the Quilt Surface Design Symposium, which is one of the most comprehensive and highest quality conferences of its kind concentrating solely on various aspects of the art quilt. It draws approximately 300 participants from around the globe annually and is in its 21st consecutive year. Their interest in textiles and their makers have led Linda and Tracy to curate many art quilt exhibitions, not the least of which was the Material Matters exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art in 2008. They have both led numerous tours with Vivian Harvey to explore the art and culture of Mexico.
Linda Fowler
linda@qsds.com
Linda’s background includes an MFA from The Ohio State University, an Ohio Arts Council Grant, a Greater Columbus Arts Council Grant, a Ford Foundation Grant, and a three-month art residency in Leipzig, Germany, from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Her works can be found in the National 4-H Conference Center in Washington, DC, the Merck Pharmaceutical Building in Philadelphia, Fidelity Investments center in Cincinnati, the Hospice Center in Dayton, Ohio, the Good Samaritan Hospital in Springfield, Ohio, the University of Cincinnati Hospital, and in the Columbus collections of Price Waterhouse, the Huntington National Bank, The Ohio State University, J.C. Penny Company, the Main Library, and six other branch libraries, as well as, many private collections.
Tracy Rieger
tracy@qsds.com
Tracy Rieger received her BFA from The Ohio State University. She continued her art education by living and working at Ardmore, a ceramic studio in South Africa for a year. Tracy worked for the Ohio Craft Museum as the art gallery manager of their retail store "A Show of Hands" for four years and is currently the Education Coordinator for the Museum. She is also the Co-Director and Co-Owner of the Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus Ohio. In her “spare time” Tracy is also a studio artist with a focus is on oil painting and collage.
Travel Seminar Leader
Vivian Harvey
Vivian has been living and working in Mexico for over 20 years and has traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, and Guatemala with university students and faculty members. Prior to moving to Mexico, she was the Assistant Dean in the College of Human Ecology at The Ohio State University for ten years. She is the Educational Programs Coordinator at the Cemanahuac Educational Community, where she works with college faculty members across the United States and Canada to establish cooperative academic programs with Cemanahuac for graduate and undergraduate credit. She also leads several trips each year in Mexico and Guatemala for groups of artists and art teachers.
Her educational background includes a degree in education from the University of Michigan, and two graduate degrees from The Ohio State University, one in early childhood education and the other in family studies.
Travel land fee
The land fee, which includes meals as indicated: $2500 (twin) U.S. Funds Only
• Note: Add $425 for single supplement
• Sorry, credit cards cannot be accepted for the land fee, but the cost of the air travel can be paid with a credit card.
This travel fee includes:
• Hotel, double occupancy, 10 nights
• Meals: all breakfasts and lunches, 7 dinners, with coffee or tea
• Guidance, including all admission fees and honorarium fees for speakers and demonstrations
• Group contribution to the VAMOS program (Participants will be invited to bring a donation of a bottle of vitamins.)
• All tips, including baggage in airports and hotels, maids tips, and tips for bus drivers. No other tips for guides are expected or accepted.
• A large booklet of information about Mexico City, Puebla, and Oaxaca, given to participants prior to the trip
• Bibliography
• Airport transfers, by bus or airport vans, for those on group flights
• Considerable information prior to the trip, in printed material sent by mail and probably one meeting in Columbus to discuss the program
(Air travel, personal expenses, and 3 dinners are not included in this fee. Information on air travel is below.)
Deadlines
Initial registration and deposit due July 1, 2010: $400
(This is nonrefundable after July 1, and at this time we will confirm the trip for all those who have paid the deposit. We hope to be able to confirm the trip prior to this date.)
Final payment due September 1, 2010: $2100
Enrollment is limited, and early registration is requested. Please mail check (made out to QSDS) & registration to:
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Tracy Rieger
113 W. Columbus Street
Pickerington, OH 43147
tracy@qsds.com
We will establish a waiting list if the trip fills up quickly. We do have a limit on the number of participants.
The full deposit will be refunded if the trip is canceled due to low enrollment.
Flight plans and arrangements
Participants should arrange to fly into Mexico City on Saturday, October 23, and out of Oaxaca on Tuesday, November 2. Several carriers have flights which go directly to the United States from Oaxaca; others will require a connection in Mexico City. The first planned event of the program will be dinner on Saturday night, October 23.
Participants will make their own flight arrangements. If it appears there is sufficient enrollment from Columbus a group flight can be arranged, but often travelers get better rates on line or are able to use frequent flyer miles. Please do not confirm and pay for flight arrangements before the trip is confirmed, which will be on July 1 at the latest.
Participants are responsible for arranging their own transfers from the Mexico City airport to the hotel, on airport taxis. Ample information will be sent. If you leave Oaxaca on Tuesday, November 2, the airport transfer from the hotel to the airport will be included in the program fee. If you leave at another date, it is an easy trip to arrange on your own.
Some participants may want to fly into Mexico City early, or stay over in Oaxaca or one of the beach areas on the Pacific area in the State of Oaxaca (Puerto Angel, Huatulco, etc.). Please contact Vivian Harvey for information on these arrangements.
Travel insurance is recommended but not required. (It is far easier to work out travel insurance problems in case of cancellation if you have a travel agent.)
No special visas are required, but a valid passport is necessary. Please take the time to check to be sure
your passport is not near the expiration date when you make your reservation.
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