So based on my students' ofrendas, and suggestions from other Mexicans, my roommate Ashlyn and I made our own ofrenda. Notice the pan de muerto, cempasuchil, fruits, candles, water, salt, calaveritas de chocolate, papel picado, sugar cane, and, of course, the photos (of Ash's grandma on the table; of my family and friends on the wall).
It was really cathartic to make this. I don't think I'll be able to let Día de los muertos pass me by without making an ofrenda (or at least an ofrendita).
For the actual holiday, we spent the day at the grandparents' house of our dear friend Fer, in Tlaxcala, a neighboring state (remember La Malinche? It's in Tlaxcala). We participated in a beautiful ritual of which I honestly do not fully grasp the significance, but it moved me to tears nonetheless.
^Cacao seed in my palm
^The family's beautiful ofrenda
^Saying goodbye to the souls of the loved ones who visited us via the ofrenda.
It was such a beautiful celebration of life and death and everything in between and beyond. I am so blessed to be in Mexico.
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