Traditional Mexican’s Funeral
and Burial Customs; their
ancestors and religion’s
influences.
Elizabeth Vazquez.
Salt Lake Community College Mortuary Science Department.
In Mexico there are many customs to celebrate funerals and burials. The differences are
based on their beliefs; there are 31 states in Mexico and each of them has their own customs and
beliefs, but not everything is about differences; they also have similarities. We can notice their
similarities when we talk about traditional Mexican burials and funeral customs. Traditional
burial and funeral customs are based on their ancestors’ beliefs and their religion; this means that
these customs are based on the Aztecs, Mayans, Mixtec, etc. And because most of the people in
Mexico are catholic, the Roman Catholic Church has a big influence in their funeral and burial
customs.
All traditional Mexican funeral and burial customs are influenced by indigenous people
or their ancestors and by their religion. So in order to talk about their funeral and burial customs
I have to talk a little bit about their ancestors and the Roman Catholic’s ones. There is small
evidence about their ancestors’ burial and funeral practices, but this is what some people think
about those customs. There are also some Mexican people who are still practicing some of those
customs.
The Aztecs; most of the evidence archeologist have shown, shows that they did not
used much cloths to bury; they used fur stuff, dried skins and or mantles instead of cloths, they
were buried with a pair of sandals, and another pair was also placed; they thought that their
afterlife journey would be long; if the ones that the deceased was wearing, he/ she would use
his/her extras. Other things that were also included were some of their belongings and other
things that were going to be necessary during their new path. Some of the decedents were buried
in “the flexed position;” which means in a position were their arms were placed in their chest;
they were crossed and their legs were folded; with their knees tightly drawn up. Others were
buried in a fetal position. Sometimes caves and natural deposits of spring water were used for
their burials, other times the burials took place on open places, or pyramids. Many people were
buried in large baskets; children were buried in those baskets or sometimes in large bags made of
dried skin, the babies were buried in their cradles. They also used cremation; especially with
their warriors (Unknown, 2001).
As I mentioned before the Aztecs were buried with many things, but two of the most
important was a jade bead; which represented their hearts and a sacrificed dog; which is known
as the xoloitzcuintle; a Mexican dog which has not hair. Because dogs are the humans best
friends, the Aztecs thought that the dogs would guide and protect them to the afterlife (McGarry,
2007). The Aztecs ideas of the afterlife; they thought that it was huge, there were nine
underworlds and thirteen heavens; people would go to heaven or hell, depending on their life
style and on the way they died; people who die in war; fighting for their land or people, and the
women who died while they were giving birth, would go to heaven; with god, which was the sun.
Other people that were not dying like this were going to pass through the underworld; their goal
was to arrive to the north heaven, they had to travel for four years in order to get there. The
following nine stages are the ones that a soul has to travel to get to its best destiny:
1) Cross a deep river.
2) Pass between two mountains which were joined together
3) Climb an obsidian mountain
4) Pass through icy wind that cuts like a knife
5) Pass through a place were flags waved
6) Be pierced by arrows
7) Pass among wild beasts which ate human hearts
8) Pass over a narrow path of stone
9) Reach this level where the soul find rest (unknown, 2007)
The Mixtec; an article of National Geographic explains that there were found some
evidence of the Mixtec indigenous funeral rites which involved cremation, according to them,
the cremation evidence date back to 3,000 years ago. They say that cremation and the dogs used
by Aztecs and other ancestors were used by the Mixtec in the 1100 B.C. (Drye, 2008) There are
still leaving Mixtec people in Mexico, but their practices are mostly like other Mexican
Traditional funeral and burial customs.
The Mayans; they believe that dying is like an essential part of an important process for
their existence on Earth. They thought had to follow a process of change in “generation,
destruction, and renovation.” After they dye their soul had to meet with their ancestors and
become one of them in order to rebirth; they saw the deceased as a plan; first they saw the body
as the seed, then the plant that later would grow from it would be the rebirth; the body was
buried; the seed was placed on the ground, the plant would soon sprout; the person would soon
born. They saw the deceased, as they saw the people who was still alive, for this reason the
places were they bury the deceased were built as little houses, were the deceased would live and
were his/ her family will visit them and a place were they can receive “ofrendas,” or
offerings.(Tiesler, 2008)
Mayan Cemetery in Campeche, Mexico; photo by Vera Tiesler.
There are still some Mayan people living and Mexico and some of their burial and burial
practices still the same as their ancestors. The image of the cemetery above is a kind of cemetery
that still can be seen by us in some part of Mexico; their elatives still taking them offering,
mostly on the day of the dead and the all saints day.
Roman Catholic’s burial and funeral customs. People should be buried, not cremated;
they allow cremation only if after that they had had the Catholic funeral rites which includes a
“Vigil Service”; which takes place usually at the funeral home, or at a Roman Catholic church, a
“Funeral Liturgy”; which takes place at the church, and a “Rite of Committal” of the deceased
body; which takes place at the cemetery. Every deceased body has to be present in a Catholic
Mass. They prefer to bury the deceased at a Catholic cemetery, but it is not required; the family
of the deceased has the last decision. The deceased has to be baptized, or he/she would not be
able to be buried in a Catholic cemetery; which are supposed to be a holy land. When someone
is catholic and is not bury in a Catholic cemetery, a priest has to be blessed with holy water.
Every catholic person has the right to be buried in a Catholic cemetery with the exception of
those people who commit suicide, when they were consciously aware. Time ago the catholic
were buried with a cross in their hands or with their arms crossed on their chest, the wake
included burning a light and he/she and their casket was blessed with holy water by a priest
(unknow, 2009)
The Roman Catholic and the Aztecs, Mayans and Mixtes’ funeral and burial customs become
tight up in a single one; which is the traditional Mexican funeral and burial customs. There is a
small portion that prefers cremation instead of being bury. And there are also a small percentage
of traditional Mexican people who embalm their deceased; they want their body natural, because
it is sacred. Traditional Mexican buries takes place 24 hours after death. There are many people
who believe that Mexican wakes are about but and about socializing, but it is not true, or at least
not in many cases. The wake takes place at the deceased home; some people mourn, others talk
and tell stories about the deceased, and most of the people pray and drink coffee. After the wake,
the family takes the deceased body to the church were a mass is given and then the burial takes
place; burials take place during the day.
Children and Adults Burials have both differences and similarities. Children are dresses
in white, or sometimes they are dressed as catholic saints and virgins. Adults are dressed in
black, or in their best cloths; most of them buy new close for the deceased. The deceased is
carried to the cemetery by four people; when the cemetery is close to their home, or in car were
their home is far. It is sometimes accompanied with a local band which plays the deceased
favorite songs, or if it is a child burial, the band plays happy songs. Most of the traditional
Mexican people are buried in caskets, but others are still being wrapped in blankets, or mats.
Adults graves are decorated with flowers, the children graves in addition to flowers have toys;
both of them are marked by a cross and sometimes angels and saint’s images and sculptures
(unknown, typepad, 2000)
After the burial, a Novena start; a novena is nine days after death, were people pray, so
the deceased soul can rest in peace. For example the image of a novena that I have seen includes
people praying, some who still crying, candles, flowers and a picture of the deceased this would
be at night or in the afternoon. During the novena children from the neighborhood and the family
of the deceased get together at his/her home and fast; every children should attend early in the
mourning to the deceased’s home they would drink tea and eat cookies, at noon they would
gather again and have lunch, and finally they could attend to eat dinner; it is important to
mention that anyone who attended could just drink water they could not eat anything except the
food that they eat at the deceased’s home and the last day of the novena children were grated
with a fieldtrip, lots of food and candy.
Since Mexicans think that deceased person has to be treated as the people a life, they treat
them well; some people believe that they can still see and be around the people alive, for this
reason if they treat them bad, the death can get angry and punish them. The single thing that is
practiced by every traditional Mexican is the days dedicated to the death which are the “Day of
the Death” and the “Day of all Saints,” both of these days were celebrated by some Mexican
ancestors, but today it is celebrated by everyone; it does not matter which religion or beliefs
differences that everyone could have. These things are some beliefs and customs of Traditional
Mexican funeral and burial customs; as we can see today’s funeral and burial customs were born
many years ago, even if they have been changing with the years, some still practiced and
hopefully will continue.
Works Cited
Drye, W. (2008, April 9). National Geographic. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Earliest Mixtec
Cremations Found; Show Elite Ate Dog: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080409cremations.html
McGarry, R. (2007, unknown unknown). Mexicolore. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from Aztecs at Mexicolore:
http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=flo
Tiesler, V. (2008, May). Investigacion y Ciencia. Retrieved march 25, 2011, from Cultos Funerarios
Mayas: http://www.investigacionyciencia.es/Archivos/05-08_Tiesler.pdf
unknow. (2009, may 31). Death Care. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from Historic Funeral Traditions: Catholic.:
http://www.deathcare.com/2009/historic-funeral-traditions-catholic.html
Unknown. (2001, January 13). NPS History Handbook. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from Aztec RuinsNational Monument: http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/36/hh36a2-1.htm
unknown. (2007, unknown unknown). The Life - Death - Rebirth Cycle Through the Ages. Retrieved April
12, 2011, from The Aztec Mythology and their Underworld, Mictlan: http://www.river-styx.net/aztecmyth-mictlan.htm
unknown. (2000, July 20). typepad. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from Traditional Mexican death customs
and beliefs.: http://interpose.typepad.com/in_repose_blog/2007/07/traditional-mex.html