Reprinted from Green Man Review.
The Day of the Dead — El Dia de Muertos — has always fascinated me, ever since, as a teen, I first read Ray Bradbury’s Mexican-set stories (e.g., “Next in Line”) about this celebration of the dead. So when offered the chance to review The Days of the Dead, I jumped pretty darn fast. And I am thoroughly pleased that I did so. As much a photo album as it is a text, The Days of the Dead features lush color photography by John Greenleigh and text, in both English and relatively simple Spanish (well, I could mostly read it, and my Spanish is elementary, at best), by Rosalind Rosoff Beimler. According to the brief introduction, the pictures were taken in the Mexican states of Michoacan, Morelos, Oaxaca and Mexico between 1985 and 1990 (although the Introduction does not mention it, new text and photos were apparently added to the original 1991 edition for this revised version).
After a few introductory pictures and captions, pages eleven through twenty-four delve into the cultural history and significance of this festival, drawing on Aztec and Catholic tradition, and even mentioning Halloween, Los Dias de Muertos’ not-so-distant cousin. The text has been laid out most ingeniously, English (atop) and Spanish (below) translations bracketing whimsical photos of various festival toy skeletons: in coffins, as Mariachi bands, as a bride and groom. In the eighty-five pages that follow, readers are taken on a whirlwind tour of the traditional — crowded pre-festival markets, flower-bedecked family altars and graveyards, Catholic masses, candle-lit vigils — and the fantastical — mummers and musicians, skeletal candy and bread, flower strewn paths for the dead to follow home, and the ever present skeletons.
The pictures are simply gorgeous, whether showing colorful candy, bread or flowers or a somber wake, and serve to illustrate the odd juxtaposition of religious respect with flamboyant, fanciful display that marks the Days of the Dead. While some shots are clearly posed, many are more candid, catching people hard at work — or play — preparing to receive their dead. It’s a tantalizing peek into this most fascinating of spiritual events for those of us who may never experience it for ourselves.
Each picture is informatively captioned in both languages, and every few pages, Biemler offers up a mini-essay of sorts, detailing the weeks and days leading up to the festival; describing the festive markets brimming with toys, flowers and food; listing foods to be prepared for the living and dead, or discussing the repair and cleaning of graveyards prior to the vigils and masses.
Both informative and picturesque, this glossy paperback photo essay is a true gem. Highly recommended for anyone with a passing interest in Los Dias de Muertos.
(Pomegranate, 1998)
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