On the Path of Marigolds: Living Traditions of Mexico’s Day of the Dead

About

About the Author
Ann Murdy is a photographer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her work has been shown at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, IL, the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica, CA, and Museo Chicano in Phoenix, AZ , among others.

About the Contributor
Denise Chávez is a performance artist, novelist, and teacher whose work celebrates the border corridor of southern New Mexico, West Texas, and northern Mexico. Her novel, Face of an Angel (1994), won the American Book Award, and her book, The King and Queen of Comezón (2014), won the 2015 International Latino Book Award and New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for fiction.

Cesáreo Moreno has been the visual arts director of the National Museum of Mexican Art since 1995 and was named the museum’s first full-time curator in 2004. Moreno has conducted research on the Mexican holdings of museums throughout Mexico and the U.S. He has curated and/or coordinated numerous exhibitions and served as a juror and panelist for numerous groups including the National Endowment for the Humanities, Illinois Arts Council, and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

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Praise

“It’s a gorgeous photography book. The photos are accompanied by informative essays about what’s taking place in the photos. It’s also bilingual, which is wonderful. I really appreciate books that are written both in English and Spanish. The book has won multiple awards…”
—Regina Marchi, Five Books

“At a time when blockbuster animated films have made the Mexican observances of dia de los muertos part of American pop culture, Ann Murdy transports us into the distinct, real-life, solemn practices and rituals deep in the heart of Mexico. With brilliant, somber, and heart-stopping photographs, Murdy opens a portal into the dignified private and public spaces created by humble residents to honor the dead. On the Path of Marigolds highlights the various ways rural Central Mexicans in three communities celebrate the lives of those departed through thoughtfully framed, meaningful portraits of the altars and commemorations that communicate how communities and individuals make these remembrances simultaneously personal and public.

“From the altar of the infant Gerardo Alexis in Huaquechula, Puebla, with toys, breads, juice, fruit, milk, and yogurt to the vividly intricate sand carpets in the churches and homes of Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, to elaborately decorated graveyards surrounding Lago de Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Ann Murdy showcases these public celebrations of the sacred and personal. Denise Chávez’s introductory essay wonderfully places these pictures and dia de los muertos into context, allowing us to better understand the significance of these photographs. This book should be in the hands of everyone interested in Mexican and ‘Mexican-American’ culture.”
—Michael D. Innis-Jiménez, Professor of American Studies at the University of Alabama, series editor of Latinx Histories (University of North Carolina Press), and author of Steel Barrio: The Great Mexican Migration to South Chicago, 1915-1940

“Ann Murdy looks at worlds rarely seen and peoples rarely photographed, and we are all the better for it. She has dedicated her life and her considerable talents to showing us the ceremonies and devotions of the people of rural México. She brings a caring and sensitive lens to her subjects; she holds an honest mirror to their devotions. This is very important work not just for now, but for years and centuries to come.”
—Steve Northup, former photographer for UPI, The Washington Post, and TIME Magazine

“Ann Murdy’s photographs delight the sense of sight and are also a virtual ‘scratch and sniff’ of Day of the Dead traditions across México. One enjoys the tempting scents of fresh-baked pan de muerto breads and tortillas, sweet and savory mole, as well as potent wafts of copal incense and pungent cempasuchitl flowers. On the Path of Marigolds takes the armchair visitor not only to public spheres in markets and cemeteries, but deep within personal and profoundly moving familiar rituals that take place in private homes. The depth of Murdy’s works is sure to enlighten for years to come.”
—Rebecca D. Meyers, Permanent Collection Curator, National Museum of Mexican Art

“Ann Murdy, having traveled to the same communities in México for more than twenty years, offers readers an intimate glimpse into the Day of the Dead traditions. Her striking photographs document the varied aesthetics and spiritual practices of three different villages with sensitivity and skill. Through her images, she shares her own quest to understand better and foster appreciation for these age-old traditions and their contemporary expressions.”
—Joyce Ice, Ph.D., Former Director, Museum of International Folk Art

“Ann Murdy’s images are a unique portal into one of México’s most emotional and compelling events. . . . Viva!”
—Ray Dewey, Founder of Dewey Galleries

“On the Path of Marigolds is an intimate look at how people honor those who passed on in villages of México. Every photograph has a story reaching back centuries.”
—Tom Aageson, former Executive Director of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation

Read a review by Enrique Lamadrid, University of New Mexico (pdf or online)

My Place

México opened up a world of color to me when I made my first visit to Oaxaca, México, in 1991 to experience Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). I was greeted with a profusion of color from the fresh fruit and vegetables when I entered the markets, which included pastel-colored agua frescas (non-alcoholic fruit drinks) in large glass jars, stacks of quesillo cheese wrapped up like balls of yarn, various brands of mezcal in glass bottles neatly lined up in shelves, and plaid plastic shopping bags hanging from the ceilings. Indigenous women in plaid pinafores wearing huaraches with their hair in braids were constantly trying to get me to buy chapulines (fried grasshoppers) and clayludas (oversized thin tortillas), as I navigated my way through many of these markets. My sense of smell was stimulated by the freshly baked pan de muerto (bread of the dead), homemade chocolate, chilies, chunks of copal incense, and the pungent scent of the marigold flowers.

Everything was exotic, as one rarely gets the opportunity to shop in markets such as these in the United States. Throughout the town there were altars in public places, festive embroidered clothing worn by the indigenous people, silver milagros hanging on velvet from the sides of the altars, antique statues of the saints gloriously greeting me when entering the sacred spaces, glided ceilings with carved figurines in the colonial churches and stacks upon stacks of marigold flowers being sold to adorn the graves and altars. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the colonial architecture, cobbled stone streets, pre-Columbian ruins, ancient history, the devotion of faith and the spirituality that goes into the this celebration of life known as Day of the Dead.

My most profound experience was the first time I went into a cemetery at night, which was only lit by candlelight, and saw the local people keeping vigil by the graves of their loved ones. It was an ethereal experience that completely overwhelmed me by touching my inner being. I was walking on scared ground, as I saw families picnicking, laughing, drinking, and burning copal over the graves. All of the graves were elaborately decorated with flowers, candles and food. It was magical, serene, soulful, and joyous. Some families hired musicians to serenade the dead with their favorite songs. It was a fiesta that was full of life. It was the complete opposite of what one would experience when we visit the tombs of our loved ones in the U.S., which, for me, tend to be cold, empty places completely lacking in color or joy. No one was crying. I could feel such a sense of love, warmth, and devotion within this place. It opened up a brand-new world to me.

Due to this reaction, I was compelled to return again and again. Each visit was enriched by new traditions and experiences. I witnessed people who welcomed a total stranger into their homes to photograph their home altars with open hearts and big smiles on their faces. They insisted that I sit down in front of the altar and partake in the fiesta by enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, eat some pan de muerto, and have a mezcal or beer. The generosity of these people was sincere. It came from the heart.

This sense of kindness exists all over México, no matter what time of year when I am there to take photographs of cultural events. It is real. It is genuine. It has enriched my life and shown me a place that is truly special. I am so grateful for all of these experiences and the opportunity to partake in the spirit of México.

Copyright © 2019 Ann Murdy. All rights reserved.