Over The Garden Wall Kids Dead?
How commercialization over the centuries transformed the Day of the Dead
The mass-marketing of the Day of the Dead is evident in the costumes that people buy for the day. Man Hon Lam / EyeEm Getty Images
As a Mexican-American who celebrates Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, at the end of October and beginning of November, I've noted an increasing concern the past several years that the holiday is becoming more commercialized.
Indeed, for those who hold the holiday sacred, it's jarring to see the extent to which it's now mass-marketed. The evidence is everywhere. The holiday aisles of Target are stuffed with cheap Day of the Dead crafts during October. Halloween stores sell Day of the Dead costumes. Nike makes Day of the Dead shoes. California and Arizona sell Day of the Dead lottery tickets. Disney famously tried to trademark "Día de los Muertos" before its 2017 film "Coco." The examples go on and on.
The bottom line is that Día de los Muertos and its associated imagery, skulls and skeletons have become trendy and a prime opportunity for companies to make a profit.
But as a researcher of culture and performance, I know only too well that the truth is Day of the Dead has always been commodified.
The roots of commercialization
Day of the Dead is what anthropologist Hugo Nutini calls a syncretic holiday, meaning it's a cultural product of two different religious traditions that hybridized during the European colonization of the Americas.
Day of the Dead brings together the annual feasts for the dead celebrated by pre-Hispanic Indigenous cultures such as the Aztec, Maya, Zapotec and Mixtec peoples. During Mexico's 300-year-long colonial period, which started in 1521, these Indigenous rituals were merged with the Spanish Catholic holy days for the dead known as All Saints, celebrated on Nov. 1, and All Souls on Nov. 2.
Early Spanish chroniclers in Mesoamerica such as Diego Duran and Bernardino Sahagún documented the Aztec feasts for the dead known as Miccailhuitontli and Huey Miccailhuitl. Duran wrote in the 1570s that he was astounded to see how lavishly the Aztecs spent on supplies for their offerings to the dead.
Sahagún noted the overwhelming bustle and financial activity that took place at the market in the capital city of Tenochtitlán, modern-day Mexico City, during the Aztec ritual feasts.
All manner of foods and goods were sold to citizens to celebrate the Aztec feasts of the dead. In this respect, there wasn't much distinction between commercial and religious activity. The religious feasts supported the market and vice versa.
The Catholic religion also emphasized commercial activity in relation to All Saints and All Souls Day. According to 16th- and 17th-century Catholic belief, the majority of souls landed in purgatory after death, rather than heaven or hell. It was the responsibility of the living to help alleviate the suffering of souls in purgatory and assist them in getting to heaven. This could be done through prayer or by making offerings to the souls.
In Mexico that meant Spanish colonizers and newly converted Indigenous Catholics were tasked with purchasing directly from the church candles and other religious items that could be used in offerings to those souls in purgatory. Additionally, they could pay their local priest to say special prayers for the souls during Día de los Muertos, a practice that remained in effect through the 20th century.
The colonial era
As Day of the Dead became a more popular and elaborate festival in Mexico, the associated commercial activity grew in size. According to anthropologist Claudio Lomnitz, in the 1700s Day of the Dead generated the largest annual market in Mexico City.
In fact, the plazas and streets were so overwhelmed during the holiday with vendors, carts, booths and makeshift markets that the local government deemed it a "public disorder." Mexico City's mayor and city council eventually had to control Day of the Dead's economic frenzy by enacting laws and issuing vendor permits. In other words, the holiday had become so commodified in Mexico City that it required government regulation.
By and large the markets and vendors in Mexico sold items related to the holiday – food, candy, bread, alcohol, candles, toys and religious items. However, according to Lomnitz, by the 1800s, the Day of the Dead markets in Mexico City were also selling clothing, shoes, furniture, tools, home decor and many other things.
The swell of commercial activity on Day of the Dead also presented an opportunity for musicians, dancers and other entertainers to perform on the streets for money. In short, Day of the Dead in Mexico City and other urban areas carried both religious and economic significance.
Modern-day commercialization
Day of the Dead's commercialization was also quite pronounced in rural Mexico. A number of anthropologists in Mexico and the U.S. writing about Day of the Dead in the early and mid-20th century make special note of the sizable holiday markets. They write that villages are transformed into commercial fairs where people gather from communities many miles away to buy and sell foods, goods and services during the festival.
The scholarship of anthropologists Stanley Brandes and Ruth Hellier-Tinoco has been influential for understanding how Mexico began "selling" Day of the Dead to the outside world in the mid-20th century. Mexico's tourism industry started promoting the holiday to U.S. and European travelers as an "authentic" Mexican experience.
Many guidebooks and travel brochures highlighted Day of the Dead as a cultural event for tourists to attend and buy folk art related to the holiday. Additionally, Mexico's tourism industry positioned certain regional celebrations as the most "traditional" Day of the Dead festivals for tourists to explore.
Mexican candy in the shape of sugar skulls being sold on the occasion of the Day of the Dead in Michoacan, in the western part of Mexico. ©fitopardo/Moment via Getty images
Hellier-Tinoco has shown how Mexico's "selling" of the Day of the Dead on the rustic island of Janitzio in the state of Michoacán transformed the small community ceremony into a spectacle attended by more than 100,000 tourists a year.
Given all this evidence, there doesn't appear to be an era when Day of the Dead wasn't intimately tied to financial activities and profiteering. But the holiday's commercialization has also ensured its survival.
In 2019, I talked to a grandmother building a Day of the Dead ofrenda, an altar with offerings for her family's dearly departed that included candles, food, flowers, and festive decorations. For years she'd tried to get her grandchildren to help her erect the altar for their ancestors, to no avail. It wasn't until they watched Disney's "Coco" and saw sugar skulls at Target that they took interest in the holiday. Now they eagerly help their grandmother build the altar.
Commercialization is and has been transforming Day of the Dead. But, from what I've seen, it's also giving a new generation a chance to be proud of their culture.
___
Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Mathew Sandoval is affiliated with the Mesa Arts Center, an arts nonprofit that stages an annual Day of the Dead celebration. He serves on its annual Day of the Dead organizing committee. Dr. Sandoval is also affiliated with the Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Dia de los Muertos festival, serving as a judge for its altar competition.
___
Photos: Day of the Dead celebrations through the years
Ruben Cohuoo, 18, and his mother Guadalupe Che, clean and rearrang the bones and the grave of their grandparents in Pomuch Town, in the northwestern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 29, 2004. In this small village , the last days of October are devoted to cleaning the bones: dusting, polishing, scrubbing and rearranging the skeletal remains of family members in time for the Day of the Dead, when Mexicans welcome the souls of the dearly departed back to earth.(AP Photo/Jaime Puebla)
Alejandro Hernandez places candy skulls on a terraced slope where National Autonomous University of Mexico students collected more than 5,600 of the edible skulls, which are traditional offerings during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico, constructing the the largest skull wall in Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004. Mexicans honor the dead on Nov. 1, when the souls of dead children are believed to arrive, and on Nov. 2, when adults are believed to return. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Gaily festooned papier-mache skeletons are all smiles as they take part in the Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico City, Oct. 31, 1974. The day is held in honor of dead relatives and Mexicans mark the occasion by indulging in bizarre handicraft. The tradition goes back to the days of the Aztecs. (AP Photo/HEM)
Channing Watson-Boal of Westport, Conn., looks over some of the typical handicrafts on display in Mexico City for the ancient Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead, Oct. 31, 1974. The celebration goes back to pre-Columbian days and coincides with Halloween. (AP Photo/HEM)
Young and old alike sit on the tombs of relatives all through the in the old cemetery in Mixquic outside Mexico City during the traditional celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Nov. 3, 1976. Relatives clean the graves, plant flowers, light candles and even offer up plates of the deceased's favorite food and drink during the unusual all-night vigil on Monday and Tuesday in one of Mexico's unique religious holidays. (AP Photo/HEM)
Ricardo Jimenez, 8, left, and his brother Andres, 9, lay flowers on their grandfather's grave at the Dolores Cemetery in Mexico City on Nov. 2, 1994. Families traditionally visit and clean grave sites of relatives on the Day of the Dead, celebrated every November 2. (AP Photo/Douglas Engle)
Monica Dober, 22, left, from the Hollywood area of Los Angeles dances with Jose Luis Alvarez, wearing a skull mask, originally from Michoacan, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 2 1995, as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Dead at the Plaza Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Rubi Rosas 12, left, holds a wooden stick as she tries to release a balloon stuck in a tree, while her sister Victoria, 7, right, and her mother Sandra Rosas look on Thursday, Nov. 2, 1995 at Plaza Olvera in downtown Los Angeles. Sandra Rosas says: "We came here, to the Plaza Olvera, to bang the drums, to bring out the spirits to parade, and remember our love ones who are dead. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A museum worker hands out flyers at a Day of the Dead 'la catrina' costume contest at the Dolores Olmeda Museum Saturday October 30, 2004 in Mexico City. Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead on November 1 to honor the deceased.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Candy skulls are seen where National Autonomous University of Mexico students collected more than 5,600 of the edible skulls, which are traditional offerings during Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico, constructing the the largest skull wall in Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004. Mexicans honor the dead on Nov. 1, when the souls of dead children are believed to arrive, and on Nov. 2, when adults are believed to return. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Joel Solana, 6, yells to his parents as they decorate a gravesite in preparation for Day of the Dead, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2004, in Tlayacapan, Mexico. Mexicans will honor their deceased loved ones on the November 1 and 2 holiday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Audrey Tellez from San Diego observes an altar set against the international border wall during a Day of the Dead ceremony on Monday, November 1, 2004 in Tijuana, Mexico. The event was in memory of the undocumented immigrants who have died while crossing the U.S./Mexico border. Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican custom on November 1 and 2 to remember and honor the deceased. (AP Photo/David Maung)
A man stands over a relative's grave at a roadside cemetery near the town of La Paz, northern Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. Residents celebrate Day of the Dead to honor the deceased, a tradition which coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
Decorative skulls sit for sale in Mexico City's largest flower market, Mercado de Jamaica, a few days before the Day of the Dead celebrations, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. Mexicans will celebrate Day of the Innocents on Nov. 1 and Day of the Dead on Nov. 2, traditions that mix both Spanish and Indian traditions and honor the dearly departed. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Tzotziles indians celebrate the Day of the Dead at El Romerillo cementery Saturday November 1, 1997, in San Cristobal las Casas, Chiapas. People from all Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead coming to the cementery to stay with their deads all day and night.(AP Photo/Pascual Gorriz)
A traditional Mexican 'Catrina', dressed as a 'Tehuana', from Mexico's southern Oaxaca state, walks at Mexico's National Autonomous University during Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
A woman dressed as the iconic Mexican "Catrina" poses for photographers as she gathers with other women in costume in an attempt to set a record for the most Catrinas in one place during Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. The figure of a skeleton wearing an elegant broad-brimmed hat was first done as a satirical engraving by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada sometime between 1910 and his death in 1913. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Frangerato Salvador, 8, dressed as a Katarina, stands beside her brother's grave, marking the Day of the Dead holiday at the cemetery in San Gregorio, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The holiday honors the dead on Nov. 1, coinciding with All Saints Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Candles illuminate graves freshly decorated by family and friends, marking the Day of the Dead holiday at the cemetery in San Gregorio, Mexico, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The holiday honors the dead on Nov. 1, coinciding with All Saints Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
Candles illuminate children's tombs in the San Gregorio cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, late Saturday, Nov. 1, 2015. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, families decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds and candles, and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their deceased loved ones. At this cemetery, families pay a special tribute to children who have died, on the night of Oct. 31 into the morning of Nov. 1. The following night, families keep vigil at the tombs of adults. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
The grave of Mitzi Espinoza, a deceased child, is decorated with balloons and candles in the San Gregorio cemetery during Day of the Dead festivities on the outskirts of Mexico City, late Saturday, Nov. 1, 2015. In a tradition that coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, families decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds and candles, and spend the night in the cemetery, eating and drinking as they keep company with their deceased loved ones. At this cemetery, families pay a special tribute to children who have died, on the night of Oct. 31 into the morning of Nov. 1. The following night, families keep vigil at the tombs of adults. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Skeletons are arranged in a bar scene as part of a competition to create Day of the Dead altars on pedestrian Regina Street in central Mexico City, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. The holiday honors the dead as friends and families gather in cemeteries to decorate their loved ones' graves and hold vigil through the night on Nov. 1 and 2. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Scavenged plastic bottles form a sugar skull as part of a competition to create Day of the Dead altars on pedestrian Regina Street in central Mexico City, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. The holiday honors the dead as friends and families gather in cemeteries to decorate their loved ones' graves and hold vigil through the night on Nov. 1 and 2. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Camila Elisa Martinez, 5, has her face painted to look like an evil clown as she and her mother visited a competition to create Day of the Dead altars on pedestrian Regina Street in central Mexico City, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016. Traditional Day of the Dead makeup is made to resemble the Catrina, a stylized female skeleton, but Camila's mother said her daughter insisted on dressing as a "clown of terror" this year. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Performers participate in the Day of the Dead parade on Mexico City's main Reforma Avenue, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. Mexico's capital is holding its Day of the Dead parade, an idea actually born out of the imagination of a scriptwriter for the James Bond movie "Spectre." (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Family members pose for a photo during the annual Catrinas Parade, as part of Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, culminating with visits to the graves of departed loved ones on Nov. 1 and 2. The figure of a skeleton wearing broad-brimmed hat was first done as a satirical engraving by artist Jose Guadalupe Posada sometime between 1910 and his death in 1913, to poke fun at women who pretended to be European by dressing elegantly and as a critique of social stratification. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)
Performers in costume attend a Day of the Dead parade in Juchitan, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, the town where a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants are resting for a day as they make their way to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Performers in costume attend a Day of the Dead parade in Juchitan, Mexico, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, the town where a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants are resting for a day as they make their way to the U.S. border. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
People dressed as Catrinas parade down Mexico City's iconic Reforma avenue during celebrations for the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
People dressed as Catrinas parade down Mexico City's iconic Reforma avenue during celebrations for the Day of the Dead in Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
Performers in costume attend a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. The parade on Sunday marks the fourth consecutive year that the city has borrowed props from the opening scene of the James Bond film, "Spectre," in which Daniel Craig's title character dons a skull mask as he makes his way through a crowd of revelers. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
People visit the graves of their relatives buried at the Valle de Chalco municipal cemetery, some decorated ahead of the Day of the Dead holiday, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration this weekend won't be the same in a year so marked by death, in a country where more than 90,000 people have died of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A Day of the Dead altar adorned with candles and skulls sits inside Senate in Mexico City, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration won't be the same in a year so marked by death after more than 90,000 people have died of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
A girl is surrounded by women dressed as "Catrinas" during a performance to demand justice for victims of femicide on Day of the Dead in Mexico City, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)
Jose Angel Valencia waters a tree planted on his grandfather's grave, ahead of the Day of the Dead celebrations at the Valle de Chalco municipal cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Emilio Espejel)
Be the first to know
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Over The Garden Wall Kids Dead?
Source: https://muscatinejournal.com/lifestyles/how-commercialization-over-the-centuries-transformed-the-day-of-the-dead/article_436377d9-c5ae-570d-a6d0-ec676b59e67a.html
Posted by: thorntonpeced2000.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Over The Garden Wall Kids Dead?"
Post a Comment