We are in Yucatán, at Hacienda Itzincab Cámara, with the property’s caretaker, Santiago Dzul. He is originally from the town of Tekax, but he has been looking after this hacienda in southeastern Mexico for 16 years. Dzul has a gift that he got from his father, a Maya priest with a passion for medicinal herbs and plants.
In communities that still adhere to Maya traditions, the Ofrenda de la Milpa, or “milpa offering,” represents order, a new beginning, and a balance between man and Earth; it is believed that failing to make the offering can mean bad harvests in the year to come. At the beginning of autumn, Dzul and his father perform the Waji Kool, an ancient ceremony to thank the gods for the bounties of the harvest and entrust them with future ones. After tidying their land, they pick the first fruits as an offering and use tender new corn to make atole nuevo (a corn-based drink), which is placed on their altar for Hanal Pixán—known elsewhere in the country as the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
For Hanal Pixán, which takes place between October 31 and November 2 each year, an altar with three levels—representing the underworld, the earthly world, and the heavens—is constructed in the courtyard or garden of a house, under a thatched roof. A path of large stones, colorful flowers, and candles is crucial for guiding souls on their journey, assuring they don’t get lost.
Favorite dishes of the deceased—possibly including puchero (a traditional stew), atole, sweets made of yucca or sweet potato, frijol colado (beans with epazote), hot chocolate, or corn tortillas freshly cooked on a comal (a flat griddle) and stored in a lek (a dry, hollow gourd used to keep food warm)—are placed on the altar, as are photos of relatives and close friends who have died. A green cross, moreover, represents the religious syncretism of Maya and Christian beliefs.
On the first day, when the altar is dedicated to children, it’s at its most colorful: Among yo-yos, spinning tops, marbles, and wooden toys, brightly colored candles are lit and candy and fruit are added. Once upon a time, Dzul notes, celebrants “even used to make bread in the shape of dolls, but I haven’t seen that for a while now. They also put clay whistles on children’s altars.”
The second day is for adults, and when tobacco and bottles of xtabentún (a honey liqueur), balché (a fermented drink made with the bark of a leguminous tree), or another liquor are placed for the deceased, to remember some of their pleasures in life. (That said, not everyone agrees that the dead should be offered alcohol, since it could mean them getting drunk and losing their way as they travel between this world and the afterlife.)
For all the important parts of Hanal Pixán, however, the piib, or mukbilpollo (a sort of corn tamale stuffed with vegetables and chicken), is undoubtedly the star. Although making the dish takes time, the process is worth every minute, rich as it is with family camaraderie, memories, and laughter.
“I remember my mother hanging jicaras outside. Those offerings were for orphans and the homeless,” Dzul says. Many other Yucatecans do the same, ensuring that those lost or forgotten souls also have a place at the altar table. “The souls on their way home, they see them and invite them too,” he adds.
Different parts of the Yucatan Peninsula follow different rituals. In Pomuch, in the state of Campeche, the process of constructing the altar is rather surprising. There, the community gathers to pay respect to the bones of their ancestors by exhuming their remains, cleaning them, and placing them in an ornate box to make them presentable for the celebration.
It is widely believed that during Hanal Pixán, inexplicable things tend to happen. Dzul shares one such experience that he had with the now deceased Doña Petronila, a lady from the town of Tecoh who fervently and regularly prayed in front of her altar. She was known to light the candles, pass the incense to everyone, and initiate the prayers for those who wanted to participate; and on one occasion after she died, as the courtyard filled with incense, Doña Petronila could be seen kneeling in front of a huge wreath of smoke. “Not all people had the gift to see her, but it does happen,” Dzul tells me gravely.
The joy that surrounds these mystical traditions assuages the fear of death. Instead, participants are reminded of where we all come from and where we’re all going, and death is understood as a mere transition to another state of being. From the most remote villages and communities of Yucatán to the state capital in Mérida, which now welcomes travelers from all over the world, Hanal Pixán unites everyone, drawing us together as proud heirs of the Maya culture.
In this story: Direction and photography, Viridiana; production, Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation/Taller Maya; art direction, Brenda Urcid; video, Ale Cen; floral designer, Jimena Rejón Loría; art assistants, Luis Ángel Rodríguez and Valeria Bautista for Traspatio Maya and Ensamble Artesano; anthropological and social curatorship, Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya/Taller Maya; location: Itzincab de Cámara by Private Haciendas; Visuals Editor, Karla Acosta; digital editor, Atenea Morales; special thanks to Casa Vagantes and the Itzincab Citizen Committee of the Meyaj Lool Kaab Chamber of Granada. Translated from the Spanish by John Newton.