UUFSMA: “Dia de los Muertos”

Dia de los Muertos

Sunday, October 28, 10:30am
Hotel Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15

Alberto Aveleyra

This Sunday the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship marks one of the most ancient traditions of Mexico –Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Unlike in the United States where we seek to deny death, in Mexico the dead are a fundamental part of life. The cult of the ancestors has been part of the indigenous worldview for thousands of years. The dead have been represented in art since the beginning of Mesoamerican civilizations.

Anthropologist Alberto Aveleyra takes us on a journey through the different images, rites, and sacred stories about death and life in indigenous Mexico. In a cyclic time view, death is the vital principle and the beginning of life. The bones of the dead are the seeds for future life. Our life is sustained by the dead, which transform their resources and wisdom to the guardians of the community. As the sun returns from the underworld, the dead ones return to this realm every year. They are guided through the light of the candles of the altars to the dead (ofrendas) that celebrate the mysteries of life and death and pay homage to the beloved ancestors that gave us our flesh, our body, our life, and the language we speak.

For Western civilization it is difficult to see through the mirror of death. But for indigenous pre-hispanic cultures this mirror was a cornerstone for self-knowledge and the creation of a powerful, meaningful, and diverse art throughout millennia.

Alberto Aveleyra describes himself as a Mexican-citizen of the world in love with Mexico and its cultures. He is especially in love with the art of communicating and interpreting the values of Mexican heritage through travel experiences. He is well known for his archaeological tours to Cañada de la Virgin. Alberto is the founder of Artisans of Time (artisansoftime.mx), which works in the interface of culture, heritage, and tourism to provide research, training, and consulting to provide high-quality tours around Mexico. An engaging speaker, he is also president of the Friends of the Museum of San Miguel (the House of Allende). Special music is provided by indigenous singer/guitarist Yoremem Jocobi.

This Sunday we invite you to bring a photo of a recently departed loved one to add to our ofrenda. The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. For information about our Children’s Sunday Program, contact us at chris.chase1955@gmail.com. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs for hospitality and discussion afterwards. Wheelchair accessible.