I spend about a week in Aguascalientes, where surprisingly no hot springs can be found in the area. I mainly came to the city to experience the festival las calaveras, the traditional local festivities for the day of the dead. In Aguascalientes the Festival starts a week before the 2nd of November opening the stage for dance musical and theatre performances as well as exhibitions and workshops. On the final day, the 1st of November which is the dia de los muertes infants, dedicated to the deceased children, a big parade is arranged.
Most of the festivities and the big exhibition is put on a little outside the city centre at “Isla San Marcos”, though all art centres in the city participate with activities and every open building has traditional shrine decorations arranged. Really the best timing to visit, but open around the year, is the Museum of the day of the dead where the history of the traditions, many illustrations and artworks of different interpretations are displayed.
The parade in honour of the day of the dead was a very impressive, every local association and groups were dancing through the streets, making music, and displaying skeletons participating in earthly life in installations and decorations. Finally, an amazing concert of fireworks lit up and was followed by unhinged fiesta. I had sat next to a lovely family during the parade, and they were so lovely to give me more insides as to the meaning of the different groups and installations. The following day the city lay in calmness, most people spend the day of the dead with their families to prepare with rituals, traditional decorations, and cooking for the arrival of the souls.
In the afternoon I went to a local graveyard and the scene that presented itself was for my perception of graveyards unthinkable. The graves were decorated with colourful banners, orange marigold and all sorts of cheery, little bits and bobs. Hundreds of people walked along the paths and graves, children were playing around, several bands presented their music. It is custom for the Families to have a picknick at their relative graves while the favourite food and drink of the deceased is offered on the grave. The sugary bread “pan de muertos” next to alcoholic drinks such as Mezcal or beer are present on each of them. In the Mexican culture people believe that the souls of the deceased are traveling to earth once a year on this day to celebrate life.
Opposite to my cultural origin, where the topic of dead and deceased relatives is a heavy depressing one, it was quite a spectacle and not easy to wrap my head around. Sitting in front of the little makeshift shrine I decorated in a quieter corner on the graveyard not to interfere with the Families celebration too much, I shifted between heavy hearted greave and cheerful appreciation to connect with my deceased loved ones in this special environment.
The city of Aguascalientes is not very beautiful over all but there are a number of lovely parks and gardens as well as Cafés and Bars with rooftops and live music. Several museums and markets can keep you exploring the city from different angles and if that’s your cup of tee a big mall and commercial centre including a movie theatre are situated in the north of the city.
