SKULL DESIGN PROJECT

1. SKULL DESIGN PROJECT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzaZidVrebA

2. Questions to answer • ·  Where do we come from?  • ·  Why does life end?  • ·  Is there "life" after death?  • ·  If so, what kind of  "life"? • ·  Can we do something while alive so we can enjoy "life" after death? 

3. Terms

4. alabanza - a Catholic hymn of praise • los angelitos - Young children who have died too soon to have sinned and go straight to heaven • calaca - the Grim Reaper, a skeletal figure representing death • calavera - the skull or skeleton, which symbolically represents the dead playfully mimicking the living on the Day of the Dead. Sugar skulls are sold in great numbers during the celebration, often personalized with a name. It is believed that the dead like sweets. • calaverada - madcap escapade, tomfoolery; wild behavior • cempazuchitl or cempazúchil - Nabuafi language name for yellow marigold, symbolizing death • Chichihuacuahco - destination of the souls of children, the "wet-Nurse tree". • Día de MuertosChiquitos - The Day of the Little Dead, occurring on November 1, All Souls Day • El Día de Difuntos - also means Dia de los Muertos • hojaldra - a sweet bread made for los Días de los Muertos. • Hueymiccailhuitl - The 10thAztec month (20 days) in which deceased adults were honored following Miccailhuitontli • Iztcuintle - a small dog to serve as a guide and companion of the dead • Miccailhuitontli - The 9th Aztec month (20-days) in which rituals were performed honoring the deceased children, around July-August • Mictecacihuatl - The Aztec goddess of the dead • Mictlan - destination of the soul after death, the region of silence and repose, also known as the place of the fleshless • la Noche de Duelo - 'The Night of Mourning.' Begins El Día de los Muertos with a candlelight procession to the cemetery • ofrenda - an alter in the home with offerings of food, etc. set out for the returning souls. The dead partake of these gifts and the living consume them afterwards. • pan de muerto - the bread of the dead, a sweet bread baked expressly for the Days of the Dead holiday; decorations on top of the bread resemble the bones of the dead. • Quecholli - The 14th Aztec month during which deceased warriors were honored • rosquete - a sweet bread made for los Días de los Muertos. • Tlalocan - destination of the souls of those who died due to earthquake or drowning, paradise of Tlaloc, the water keeper. • Tonatiuhilhuicatl - destination of the souls of warriors, the dwelling place of the sun

5. History

6. More 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. A ritual known today as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Celebrations are held each year in Mesa, Chandler, Guadalupe and at Arizona State University. Although the ritual has since been merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls. Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend, according to Mary J. Adrade, who has written three books on the ritual. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth.

7. The skulls were used to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the monthlong ritual. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. "The pre-Hispanic people honored duality as being dynamic," said Christina Gonzalez, senior lecturer on Hispanic issues at Arizona State University. "They didn't separate death from pain, wealth from poverty like they did in Western cultures.“ However, the Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious. They perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan. In their attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to kill the ritual. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die. To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today.

8. Previously it fell on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, approximately the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. Festivities were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The goddess, known as "Lady of the Dead," was believed to have died at birth, Andrade said. Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America. "It's celebrated different depending on where you go," Gonzalez said. In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones. In Guadalupe, the ritual is celebrated much like it is in rural Mexico. "Here the people spend the day in the cemetery," said Esther Cota, the parish secretary at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. "The graves are decorated real pretty by the people." In Mesa, the ritual has evolved to include other cultures, said Zarco Guerrero, a Mesa artist. "Last year, we had Native Americans and African-Americans doing their own dances," he said. "They all want the opportunity to honor their dead."

9. "Last year, we had Native Americans and African-Americans doing their own dances," he said. "They all want the opportunity to honor their dead." In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. They surround these altars with flowers, food and pictures of the deceased. They light candles and place them next to the altar. "We honor them by transforming the room into an altar," Guerrero said. "We offer incense, flowers. We play their favorite music, make their favorite food." At Guerrero's house, the altar is not only dedicated to friends and family members who have died, but to others as well. "We pay homage to the Mexicans killed in auto accidents while being smuggled across the border," he said. "And more recently, we've been honoring the memories of those killed in Columbine."

10. Traditions

11. The Altar Day of the Dead in Mexico represents a mixture of Christian devotion and Pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. As a result of this mixture, the celebration comes to life as an unique Mexican tradition including an altar and offerings dedicated to the deceased. The altar includes four main elements of nature — earth, wind, water, and fire. Earth is represented by crop: The Mexicans believe the souls are fed by the aroma of food. Wind is represented by a moving object: Tissue paper is commonly used to represent wind. Water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after the long journey to the altar. Fire is represented by a wax candle: Each lit candle represents a soul, and an extra one is placed for the forgotten soul.

12. Yucatan: Altar contest Every year, an altar contest brings delegations from all over the state to the Plaza Grande in Merida. It is a cultural spectacle based on the religious concept of HanalPixan and organized by the Cultural Institute of the Yucatan Government. Winners of local contests are invited to travel to the the capital city to participate in the statewide competition. The Plaza Grande is converted into a stage where the altars are set up for display. Many religious images adorned with photographs of the dead are present. Favorite prayers are placed at the foot of the altar as well as mucbil chicken, a traditional dish prepared only for this celebration.

13. Mexico City: Skeletons Bakery windows are decorated with skeletons and verses dedicated to the deceased. People select the bread they want to offer their ancestors, a food that is later enjoyed by the family. The people of Mexico City remember those who have crossed the river that separates life from death. This two-fold experience enlightens the beginning and the end of a cycle.

14. The Rose Horses of Zurumucapio Distinctive to San Angel Zurumucapio is the tradition of making small rose-decorated horses and dedicating them to those who died during the year. Several members of the community dedicate themselves to this work. The day before the celebration of the dead, men put the bodies of the horses together with rods; that night, during the vigil and next to the altar, they decorate them with roses. Sometimes carnations are used instead of roses. According to a local woman, Rita Caballero Ochoa, making the little horses is a tradition that people in the village keep alive, a tradition brought down from generation to generation. Depending on the number of dead in the village, the men establish a route to go from house to house and build the frames with laurel rods that are then tied together with hemp. Eighteen to twenty men design one frame: the head, the body, and the tail and then assemble the parts. Next, they decorate the frames with flowers, starting with the last house and finishing with the first house. Placement of the flowers is done at night, so they stay fresh for the next day when the horses are taken to the cemetery. After decorating the horse, it is placed on a table, and both the altar and the horse become the center of attention. Relatives keep vigil over the deceased with lit candles: They pray, invoking the soul of the deceased. The next morning people start very early and organize firewood, cook vegetables, and make tortillas; they offer food to those who helped with the altar, decorated the horses, or stayed with them during the night. This ritual, like all of the ones related to Day of the Dead or Jimbankua, is part of a celebration dedicated to the dead. In San Angel Zurumucapio, the wooden horse is a key symbol in the celebration. It is as important as the altar. Similar to other villages, the night of October 31st is dedicated to the memory of the children, with a visit to the burial site on the morning of November first. The night of November first is dedicated to the adults with a celebration in the cemetery on November second.

15. The Santa Muerte Mexican Goddess of death and the deadorLa Huesuda ( the Boney Lady) • The Santa Muerte also known as SantisimaMuerte is the beloved goddess of death who's origins date to the  Pre Hispanic period of Mexico. The Mexica knew her by another name MICTECACIHUATL "Lady of the Land of the Dead" another spelling may be MICTLANTECIHUATL, she was believed to be a protector of souls residing in the dark underworld. Mistress to MICTLANTECAHTLI Lord of Mictlan Land of the dead Lord of Darkness. •  The Mexica  depicted Mictecacihuatl as a woman in traditional Mexica female garb adorned or decorated with flags which were put upon corpses prepared for cremation, she wears a skull mask with a beak portruding from the nasal cavity of the skull mask, or perhaps it is a knife or blade thereof.  I will try to focus on the Lady of the Land of the Dead, and in another essay I will cover more in depth the symbolism and special aspects of LORD MICTLANTECAHTLI  with the exception of noting some of his icons and how they relate to Mictecacihuatl and her current form the Santa Muerte. Mictecacihuatl is the goddess that is connected to the sacred Day of the Dead in Mexico Dia de los Muertos, originally the holiday fell at the end of the month of July and the beginning of August, dedicated to the children and the dead.

16. A holiday dear to the heart and soul of every Mexican that has a love for our ancestors and a reverence for our ancient forefathers and the deities they once revered.  It is said that the old gods are not dead just forgotten but waiting to be awakened by the fire of the faithful, I believe this is true with Mictecacihuatl. The Lady of the Dead did not suffer the same fate as Virgen de Guadalupe who was originally a Mexica Goddess known as Tonantzin (Moon Goddess & milder aspect of Coatlicue) did not suffer the wrath of the missionaries whom tried to christianizeTonantzin  stating that she was the Virgin Mary in their idigenous image come to lead the heathens to christ. Mictecacihutal retained her true guise albeit her image changed via syncretism as in her current form the Santa Muerte.  

17. Recipe for Sugar Skulls • 2½ cups sugarEgg white from 1 extra-large egg or 2 small eggs1 teaspoon light corn syrup1 teaspoon vanillaCornstarch, about a half-cup, for powdering surfaceColored sprinklesFood coloringFine paintbrushColored icingSift sugar into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix the egg whites, corn syrup, and vanilla. • Slowly pour the liquid into the powdered sugar. Mix with your hands until a sandy dough forms. Form dough into a ball. At this point, you can continue, or you can refrigerate dough for later use. • Lightly dust surface with cornstarch, as well as your hands. Pinch off a heaping tablespoon of dough, and shape it into a skull. If you're using them, lightly press colored sprinkles into the soft candy. Let the candy dry overnight. • When candy is dry, use the paint brush with food coloring to decorate the skulls. Or you can use frosting (one that will dry hard) with a fine tip to decorate them. Hand them out as is, or wrap in a small cellophane bag tied closed with a small ribbon. • Tips: • The skulls may not dry completely on a humid or rainy day. • The dough should be the consistency of damp sand, just moist enough to hold together. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time to moisten. • If dough is too moist, add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is the right consistency. • If the candy has trouble drying completely, place in a 125 degree warm oven until dry.

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