by Carolina Miralles, Language Acquisition Specialist Teacher
Her name is Mictecacíhuatl. She stands proud and tall at the beginning of the Day of the Dead exhibit at the Longmont Museum. She is the “Lady of Death” for Aztecs. She rules Mictlan, the ninth and last level of the Aztec infraworld. The Lady of Mictlan presided over ancient rituals, where she guarded the bones of the dead. These festivals evolved during the Spanish conquest of Mexico into the contemporary Day of the Dead festivities.
No other culture has created such a fascinating imaginarium around something that other cultures still struggle to hide. Death is not swept under the rug; instead, the memories of those who passed away are well and living, displayed among a myriad of bright colors, marigolds (cempasuchiles), lights and offerings. El Día de los muertos is seen as a festive celebration, where you cook the deceased’s favorite dishes and share another laugh with them. A sense of connection of eternal time flowing through the centuries embeds this celebration.
At Mackintosh Academy Boulder we have been creating an altar for the past five years. Each year, the contents grow, showing the ebb and flow of students, family members, past pets. Each grade contributes to the decoration: smaller grades color sugar skulls and alebrijes, and they make skeletons that seem alive. Other grades do small nichos, little ornamented boxes that hold something dear to the heart. Each year we pay tribute to Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist that loved and was fascinated by Day of the Dead, with brushes and paintings, photographs, and Mexican memorabilia. We offer Pan de Muerto and the students make papel picado, another tradition dating back to the Aztecs, where they chiseled spirit figures into the bark of mulberry or fig trees, as an early form of paper called “Amatl”.
We also receive the visit of our very own Catrina, a famous female skeleton, created by José Guadalupe Posada in the early 20th century. When she is in the Language Acquisition class, students surround the “Ofrenda” and they ask her questions. She in turn, explains the meaning of the salt and the water, the things that made the spirits happy. My favorite moment is when she asks to a captivated audience of kids: “Do you know how we know that the spirits came to visit?” Big eyed students wait anxiously for the revelation: “We know they are here because the papel picado moves.” She says this with a quiet, wise voice, and Mack Boudler students feel the magic, looking up to the ancient colorful paper.
The Ofrenda celebrates air, water, earth, and wind. It celebrates life itself, in all its capacity. It reminds us of loss and joy, of perennial smiles and deciduous moments to treasure. Here at Mack, we join the centuries old tradition of remembering the past and celebrating the happiness of the present.
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