BREAD OF DEATH AND LIFE: A SHORT HISTORY OF PAN DE MUERTOS
By Vanessa Baca
“‘Bread is life.’ This platitude is among the most well-known in our culture, yet when we consider the Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos and the food associated with that celebration, it takes on a much more significant and poignant meaning.”
SEND IN THE CLOWNS: FUNERAL HUMOR
By Liz Hamilton
“I opened the lid to her cardboard coffin to find an adorable little old lady lovingly draped with a colorful silk scarf. And I found a clown outfit inside.”
PRE-PANDEMIC GRIEF, ANCESTRAL MEMORY, MOURNING THE WORLD IN 2020 AND HEALING IN THE PRESENT
By Venaya Yazzie
“I now find myself dwelling upon ancestral homelands of my Diné (Navajo) matriarchs and male patriarchs in the San Juan Valley and at Huerfano, N.M.”
ANCIENT DEATH RITUALS RUN DEEP IN NEW MEXICO
By Ana Pacheco
“Through the mid-20th century some women wore the tápalo in the villages of northern New Mexico. That tradition is long gone, but the one that remains is the descanso, the roadside memorial.”
A SOLDIER’S PASSAGE: A NEW MEXICO-MADE FILM EXPLORES THE ART OF SAYING “GOODBYE” TO DAD
By Paul Ingles
“I told my therapist, ‘Seeing my father take his last breath was probably the most profound thing I’ve ever witnessed. I keep playing it over and over in my head. And you know what? I don’t think I WANT to forget it.’ ‘You never will,’ he said assuredly.”
MUSINGS OF A LOCKED OUT WIFE
By Elaine Montague
“You cannot come back. We are on lockdown. No visitors are allowed.”
CELEBRATING THE DEAD: DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS AND ALL HALLOWE’EN
By Nicolasa Chávez
“Many people do not know the origins of this fun – and fright-filled night, nor of the similarities its origins share with Día de los Muertos.”