Alebrijes

All of Mexico is preparing for one of the county's great national festivals, Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead.  Día de Muertos bears some resemblance to the US celebration of Halloween, as they share the same root: both are related to the Christian Holy Day celebrated on November 1, which is All Saints' Day.  Día de Muertos, however, is celebrated on the second of November, when many families not only decorate the graves of their departed loved ones, but will actually make an outing of the visitation of the gravesite and share a picnic at the cemetery, often preparing and serving the favorite foods of the departed. 

This time of year also coincides with a folk art exhibition sponsored by the Museo de Artes Populares here in Mexico City. Artists from all over the Federal District create enormous folk sculptures of fantastical creatures, decorated in vivid colors and garish designs.  The alebrijes are entered in a parade through the historic heart of the city, after which they are displayed along the Paseo de la Reforma, which is one of the main thoroughfares through the city.  The outlandish creatures show off their creators' imagination and artistic vision in a unique and fascinating colloquial art form.  Some of the alebrijes are as much as ten feet tall -- they are constructed of wire frames overlaid with papier-mache and then painted.  You can see that on many there is great attention to the details of the colorful designs. 

 

Folks who work in that section of the city, tourists visiting, and others stroll up and down the avenue to see the alebrijes during the two weeks or so that they remain there. 

Here are a few of the individual pieces -- I took several dozen pictures, so I'm sharing just a few of my favorites: