Love, Novela [Completed]

Re: Cemeteries and Anthropology

From: novela-harmon@bethel.edu
Date: Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:47 PM
Subject: Cemeteries and Anthropology
To: grace-k-nelson@bethel.edu

We started the day at the very famous Museum of Anthropology, learning about the Aztec religions. It was helpful in putting everything together, and give the background for current cultural ideas.

Then we went to the cemetery. It takes a long time to get anywhere in Mexico City. I'm starting to appreciate this aspect more about Guadalajara, now.

The cemetery had a lot of people in it. They told us that many families still consider this a private holiday and build their altars in their own homes, so no part of their celebration is seen by outsiders. But others visit the cemetery, and leave flowers, basically like Memorial Day. Others actually build altars in the cemetery. It seems like kind of a do-it-your-own-way kind of thing.

There are a lot of marigolds. I never thought of marigolds as a Mexican flower, but apparently it is a very Mexican flower, and very strongly associated with Day of the Dead. I don't think I'll look at them the same way in the future.

Seeing people with their family today, in the daylight, leaving flowers by gravesides, swung me back a little to having more sympathy. I'm sure not everyone who came today was thinking, "Hey let's make sacrifices to the Aztec Goddess of the Dead." They just missed their relatives, and took advantage of a special day to remember them. I guess I can see that.

But there is a lot of weird stuff, too, and I'm not sure I'll ever come to terms with the obsession with skeletons. So suffice it to say, Day of the Dead is a pretty broad spectrum, and I'm really only on board with about the lightest side of it. But I suppose that's about where I'm at with Halloween, too (jack-lanterns and kids trick-or-treating in non-scary costumes), so it's not surprising.

Alex, on the other hand, was loving all of it. I'm almost concerned he wishes he wasn't an  agnostheist (yes I just made that up) so that he could get into the whole ancestor-god thing. Luckily for everyone, his mind is too rational for that. I'm not sure I could handle creepy goddess worship, or even ancestor worship, on top  of everything else that has gone on with him.

Long story short, this is a pretty big deal here. Right now it feels like I could never not associate these things with November 2, but I wonder what the reality will be next year when I'm back in the US and back to normal life.

Speaking of normal life, how's yours?

Novela