With Day of the Dead celebrations coming up next week, preparations are well under way in Mexico City, including the planning of two distinct parades and the creation of altars, or ofrendas.
Here are five of the latter that might be well worth a visit.
The Emilio “El Indio” Fernández House Museum in Coyoacán
The house of the legendary actor and director from Mexico’s golden age of cinema, close to downtown Coyoacán, will be the site of a huge altar in honor of Mexican film directors.
The ofrenda will be inaugurated on October 31 at 5:00pm, and will be open to visitors for the first three weekends in November, from noon to 8:00pm. Admission costs 80 pesos (US $4).
Zócalo
Mexico City’s central plaza will host the “Altar of altars” exhibition, designed by set director Vladimir Maislin Topete. The exhibition brings together four ofrendas: one traditional to the Yaqui people of northwestern Mexico, one of the Maya people, another from the Huasteca region and a fourth from the state of Michoacán.
There will also be a light and sound show that will celebrate the diverse Day of the Dead traditions that exist in different parts of the country. The exhibition will open on October 27, will be inaugurated on November 1, and will be open until November 11. Entrance is free.
Anahuacalli Museum
This museum of pre-Hispanic art designed by Diego Rivera will be site of the 10th annual Cacao For Everyone Festival. Between November 1 and 3, there will be workshops, lectures, exhibitions and samples of cacao and cacao products. Entrance to the festival is free, but if you want to make a visit to the museum, admission is 70 pesos. The museum is located at Museo 150, Colonia San Pablo Tepetlapa, Alcaldía Coyoacán 04620.
Dolores Olmedo Museum
This museum is located on the property of art collector Dolores Olmedo, a contemporary of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, in the borough of Xochimilco. It is hosting an ofrenda honoring the work of the architects, engineers and construction workers who built Mexico City. The altar was inaugurated on October 5 and will remain standing until December 29.
On November 2, visitors can participate in a catrina costume contest, with costumes that should relate to the theme of the ofrenda. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, and admission costs 50 pesos. The museum is located at Avenida México 5843, Colonia La Noria, Alcaldía Xochimilco 16030.
San Andrés Míxquic
When you visit this small town in the Tláhuac borough of Mexico City you won’t believe that you’re still in the capital. The Day of the Dead celebration in San Andrés Míxquic is one of the most traditional in the entire city. Starting at dusk on November 1, the tradition begins with the lighting of candles and performances by mariachis, and culminates on the evening of November 2 when all the candles of the pantheon are lit at the same time to illuminate the path of the dead.
While you’re in Míxquic, you can see the 18th-century church and the ruins of a pr-Hispanic temple. Entrance is free, and the events will take place at Plaza Juárez, Alcaldía Tláhuac 13640.
Source: El Universal (sp)
