Last Sunday morning, our houseguests Al and Stew left for the bus terminal to return to their home in San Miguel de Allende. We enjoyed having them here, and we hope that they had a good time.
After they left, Alejandro and I decided to take a walk to the market in the nearby neighborhood of Colonia del Valle. At this time of year, there are always stalls set up outside on the sidewalk selling things for Day of the Dead and Halloween.
A lot of the merchandise is cheap junk made in China, but I always find some interesting items "hecho en México¨.
Packages of sugar skulls
In the days before photography was common, instead of placing photos of departed love ones on the Day of the Dead altar, people would write out the names of those who had passed away and attach them to the skulls.
At the end of the row, there was a stall that sells "catrina", the elegantly dressed skeletons that have become a symbol of the Day of the Dead. The larger ones are made with styrofoam skulls and arms made of pipe cleaners. Last year, I bought one of the "catrinas". This year I spotted the male counterpart, a "catrín", and purchased it.
The two of them are now hand in hand in my living room, greeting people as they enter the apartment.
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