BanderasNews
Puerto Vallarta Weather Report
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta's liveliest website!
Contact UsSearch
Why Vallarta?Vallarta WeddingsRestaurantsWeatherPhoto GalleriesToday's EventsMaps THURSDAY December 26
 NEWS/HOME
 EDITORIALS
 ENTERTAINMENT
 VALLARTA LIVING
 PV REAL ESTATE
 TRAVEL / OUTDOORS
 DESTINATIONS
 TOURS & ACTIVITIES
 FISHING REPORT
 GOLF IN VALLARTA
 52 THINGS TO DO
 PHOTO GALLERIES
 LOCAL WEATHER
 BANDERAS AREA MAPS
 HEALTH / BEAUTY
 SPORTS
 DAZED & CONFUSED
 PHOTOGRAPHY
 READERS CORNER
 BANDERAS NEWS TEAM
Sign up NOW!

Free Newsletter!

Puerto Vallarta News NetworkTravel & Outdoors 

The Day of the Dead Comes to Life in Patzcuaro, Mexico

November 2, 2015
Nowhere is the day celebrated more enthusiastically than in Pátzcuaro, a 16th-century town of about 45,000, located about 225 miles west of Mexico City in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.

Michoacán, Mexico - It's about finding the right note, flower and candle to celebrate Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, a Christian, religious tradition combined with pre-Hispanic funeral rites. One of the best places to experience this is just outside Pátzcuaro, at the cemetery in Tzintzuntzan.

Meso-Americans considered Pátzcuaro to be the "door to the sky," a place where the gods ascended and descended. They also believed that life and death are two aspects of the same reality. Whether leaders or servants, everyone was buried with offerings to be used in the next world.

It is a sea of color and light. Each plot is adorned with favorites of the deceased, including food and drink. Candles are lit to light the way for the dead so they can join the celebration. This commemoration was practiced by the indigenous people for at least 3,000 years, until the Spaniards tried to abolish it, but they were not successful.

To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards changed the dates so it coincided with All Saints' Day, which commemorates the souls with eternal and direct visual perception of God and All Souls' Day, remembering the faithfully departed, November first and second, and this continues to be the new tradition.

In Mexico, Day of the Dead celebrations vary from town to town. The holiday is divided in Pátzcuaro, if the deceased is a child. On November first, Vigil of the Little Angels, the family commemorates the child's life with respect and appreciation for the parents. At midnight on November second, The Wake for the Dead, begins.

Altars, arches and various other decorations are put together at the grave site. Portraits are displayed, along with personal goods, clothing and possessions of the deceased. A social gathering, people often camp out and cook right there. Latinos view this as a way of recognizing the cycle of life and death, which is part of human existence.

An all-night candlelight vigil takes place by the graves. The whole occasion is festive, and everyone talks of the dead as if they were still alive. During this time, people remember, re-live, and enjoy.