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Marigold? check. Candles? check. And of course, sugar skulls – the final touch on altars honoring deceased loved ones during Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
Like the traditional “pan de muerto”, these colorful dishes known as “calaveritas” (or little skulls) demonstrate how Mexico Each November, remember your dearly departed with celebration rather than sadness.
“Very few customers buy them to eat,” said Adrian Chavarría, whose family has prepared and sold calaveritas since the 1940s. Mexico City market. “Most people get them to decorate their altars.”
Following a tradition rooted in pre-Hispanic beliefs related to agriculture, many people think that their loved ones will return home to spend the night on November 2.
To welcome them, families create home-made altars. Candles are lit in the hope of illuminating their path and the deceased’s favorite dishes are cooked to mark the occasion.
“I took out a beer, a CokeA cigarette – a little bit of everything,” said Margarita Sanchez, who spent a recent October evening shopping for calaveritas and other items for her altar. “This way, anyone who comes can help themselves.”
His entire family participates in preparing the offerings, but his daughters lead the way, finding creative ways to surprise their dead relatives with a new display each year.
“This is how we honor our loved ones who are gone before we expect them,” Sanchez said. “We do this to remember them.”
A sweet tradition with ancient roots
Calavaritas are mostly made of sugar, chocolate or amaranth. Nonetheless, each Mexican state has its own variations. Ingredients like almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds and honey can also be added.
According to Mexico’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, calaveritas originate from ancient Mesoamerican traditions.
Aztec They used to make idols of Amaranth with honey as offerings to their gods. Sugar began with the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, who brought a new technique for casting the figures – a practice that eventually led to the colorful sugar skulls made today.
Pre-Hispanic offerings, however, bear no resemblance to the altars used during the Day of the Dead today.
“They were not structures set up to house offerings,” said historian Jesús López del Río, who recently led a tour on human sacrifices to gods in Mesoamerica. “They were given to entities beyond the human realm and included food, blood, animals, songs, prayers, and other things.”
Calaveritas are a family heirloom
Chavarría sells a variety of sweets at his shop, but most come from outside providers. Their sugar skulls are the only product prepared at home.
“I feel very proud and happy to carry on this legacy,” he said. “When we face the altar with our calaveritas, it fills us with pride.”
His products were designed by his mother. Yet his grandfather started the business around 1941. “In addition to being part of our folklore, calaveritas are artisan sweets,” he said.
All are made by hand. The process is so meticulous that production begins in April, sales begin by mid-September and their products are sold out by the end of October.
He can’t specify how many calaveritas are produced per year, but his shop offers 12 different sizes and produces about 40 boxes per size. The smallest packages of sugar skulls can hold up to 600 pieces, while the largest ones can hold about 300 pieces.
Prices are affordable – ranging from 3 to 400 pesos ($0.17 to $20) – but each piece takes several days to finish. According to his son Emmanuel, who will inherit the business, the process is equally difficult and fascinating.
“When your hands burn from handling the sugar skull molds, you feel very satisfied,” he said. “It’s gratifying because, besides being your creation, it’s part of your family’s legacy.”
The process starts with adding sugar to hot water and adding lemon juice to prevent the mixture from sticking. Once it boils, the mixture is poured into ceramic molds, where it rests for a few minutes before the skulls are removed to cool. About five days later, each calaverita is painted by hand.
Beyond the Day of the Dead, Emmanuel feels closer to his departed relatives every day he makes calaveritas and puts them up for sale at his family’s shop.
“This is how we remember him,” he said. “In every calaverita, his memory prevails.”
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Associated Press religion coverage is supported by the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.