As you know I was not able to make said celebration this year so as Billy Bob used to say "Google is your best friend". With that in mind, I found a lot of pictures from this year's event at the Terlingua Cemetery on Pintrest.com
Not wanting to take credit for their wonderful pictures, I am putting a link to said photos http://www.ayashbasuphoto.com/day-of-the-dead-terlingua/
Last night I did not read through the complete story the photographer wrote nor did I see the following:
"I hope to document more Day of the Dead celebrations in this ghost town in the coming years. Please do not use, reproduce or manipulate these images in anyway for commercial or other uses. If you'd like to get in touch regarding these images, please use the Contact form."
Having had photographs in the past from this particular event taken from my blog and individuals actually stamping their own watermark on my photos I decided to take them down. However, I urge you to check the above link and read the tradition of Día de Los Muertos in Terlingua, Texas as well as to view her great pictures.
It also appears that some of these photos are from prior years events and not necessarily from 2018. Sorry about that!
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Rob but the real thanks goes to the excellent photographer.
DeleteSurely the people of Mexico City have been celebrating Dia de los Muertos for a lot longer than 3 years! Is it just the parade that is new? When I was in El Salvador for that day in about 1992, everyone spent the day at the cemetery putting fresh paint on the graves, planting flowers, and beautifying the plots of all their deceased relatives. I had never seen anything like it, and I loved it.
ReplyDeleteYes, the parade is the one that is just on its third year. However, Mexico City is unique in that Día de los Muertos has not been celebrated as much as in the interior of Mexico which is referred to as "La Provincia", until recently.
DeleteMy maternal grandmother's side of the family are all from Mexico City. She married my great-grandfather who was born in Mexico City but whose parents were from Spain where this tradition was unknown.
Mexico City is where all the jobs were generated mostly government ones. Young people from the interior of Mexico (La Provincia) moved to the capital in search of employment starting in the 1940's and 50's.
While Mexico City is considered one of the largest cities in the world and is home to 20% of Mexico's entire population. Urban migration has slowed, and now natural growth is the main cause of Mexico City's population growth. It's estimated that the population of the city will reach almost 22 million by 2020.
I point this out because cemeteries have ran out of space. My mother was lucky enough to be able to buy a cemetery plot for my grandmother while she was still alive and she bought it "in perpetuity" in the early 1960's like most of the plots in the United States are sold.
I do not know in what year the government decided to do something about this problem and now if you did not buy "in perpetuity" your loved one can only stay buried for 7 years after which the remains have to be dug up and incinerated. Then you can bury another family member or sell your plot to another person.
That is why cremation is heavily promoted not just in Mexico City but in the whole country. Not having a grave to go remember your loved one is another reason why Día de Los Muertos was not as celebrated in the city as it is in the interior.
I think the movie Coco had a large influence and the government saw this as an opportunity to bring more tourism to Mexico.
Neither my mother nor my uncle recall their parents or grandparents celebrating this event or know of other families members that did. My uncle is all in on it (the parades, the costumes, the parties) but again has never gone to visit my grandmother's grave on this day nor have any of my still living aunts, uncles or cousins.
It has been a long time since I have been in Terlingua. Sure did like that area.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's time to take your motorhome on a road trip.
DeleteThanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteI totally forgot about it so now I know what all the noise was last night. Lots of fireworks and loud music. I'll check out your links thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteUsually the celebration takes place at the cemetery...maybe it was a birthday party?
DeleteIn this town they celebrate anywhere. The do a big thing in a large park and you can hear it all the way to my house. And about a mile in the other direction there is a reservation and yes they celebrate it there also. There are lots of Mexican families in the area and so they may also have been celebrating. And there was a concert at the Reservation Casino that might have been it to.
DeleteHow neat that you live near a reservation. If it involved fireworks and music perhaps it came from the Casino.
DeleteYou know how bad my CRS is but I kind of recall a blogger named Ara who at the time lived in Terlingua and has a blog called "Oasis of my Soul".
Soon after the CASI Chili Cook-off he posted about an Indian celebration that takes place during this time. Perhaps you were witness to the same celebration but in your State.
Thank you so much for posting a link to my article. I've enjoyed visiting Terlingua over the years, particularly during Day of the Dead. I missed 2019 as I was in Mexico for Day of the Dead. I look forward to being back in Terlingua in 2020, always a fun time and what special community there. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for taking the time to comment. I enjoyed sharing your article with my readers as well as your breathtaking photography.
DeleteLooking forward to your Terlingua Día de Los Muertos 2020 coverage. Happy Holidays!