THE Embassy of Mexico in Guyana, on Friday, November 01, 2019, celebrated the Day of the Dead, which is also called “Altar de Muertos”, which is a Mexican traditional celebration to honour the loved ones who have passed away.

The Mexican Embassy celebrated one of the country’s holidays, by honouring the late renowned Guyanese artist, Ron Savory, Guyanese singer John Randolph Massiah Critchlow-Brathwaite called ‘Johnny Braff.’

The Embassy also honored Mexican apologist, historian, and the world’s foremost authority on Náhuatl philology and philosophy, Miguel León Portilla, José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, known by his stage name ‘José José’, a Mexican singer, and Francisco Benjamín López Toledo, known as Francisco Toledo, who was a Mexican Zapotec painter, sculptor, and graphic artist.

Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Ivan Roberto Sierra-Medel, explained that the festival was one of the most important celebrations in Mexico, as part of the religious syncretism in the colonial era, which is a combination of Native American and Spanish Christian traditions.
The Ambassador explained that the Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 for children who died at an early age and on November 2 for adults.

“The most traditional aspect of this celebration is the altar… Each item on the altar has a meaning such as water, food, flowers and photographs. On this day, in Mexico, altars are common in offices, houses and school” the Ambassador Sierra-Medel said.

He further explained that there are parades in several cities in Mexico where the famous character of the Catrina is dominant.

The Catrina is one of the most important symbols of the Day of the Dead and it shows a satirical representation of the Mexicans who imitated the European class.

The Day of the Dead was proclaimed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.