Your next book is Mary J. Andrade’s The Day of the Dead in Mexico: Through the Eyes of the Soul.
Mary is a wonderful photographer who spent years travelling throughout Mexico. She has a series of photography books about the Day of the Dead, each one based in a different region of Mexico. They are for people who really want to get into the photography of the celebrations, though the book has text as well.
What kinds of regional differences did she come across?
One of the differences is in the shape of the altars. Some of the altars in the Oaxaca region of Mexico, for example, have elaborate arches that are either round or square, covered with hundreds of beautiful marigold flowers. It is believed amongst the Mixtec indigenous people that these arches are a gateway to welcome the spirits home. Whereas in other parts of Mexico, like Chiapas, they don’t make such arches on the altars. Here the altars may be simpler, with less elaborate flower work. It might just be a kitchen table serving as an altar, or a three or four-tiered altar built out of wood – or it might be an altar on the ground, with candles and offerings placed very humbly on the floor. Another regional difference is the type of foods placed on the altars.
Your next book is Mary J. Andrade’s The Day of the Dead in Mexico: Through the Eyes of the Soul.
Mary is a wonderful photographer who spent years travelling throughout Mexico. She has a series of photography books about the Day of the Dead, each one based in a different region of Mexico. They are for people who really want to get into the photography of the celebrations, though the book has text as well.
What kinds of regional differences did she come across?
One of the differences is in the shape of the altars. Some of the altars in the Oaxaca region of Mexico, for example, have elaborate arches that are either round or square, covered with hundreds of beautiful marigold flowers. It is believed amongst the Mixtec indigenous people that these arches are a gateway to welcome the spirits home. Whereas in other parts of Mexico, like Chiapas, they don’t make such arches on the altars. Here the altars may be simpler, with less elaborate flower work. It might just be a kitchen table serving as an altar, or a three or four-tiered altar built out of wood – or it might be an altar on the ground, with candles and offerings placed very humbly on the floor. Another regional difference is the type of foods placed on the altars.
—Regina Marchi, Five Books interview on the Day of the Dead, November 2011 (updated in September 2022).