Now you can see that we as a people should not allow this treasure of our culture to be tarnished, much like the demise of Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day, through exploitation. Dia De Los Muertos has now been littered with $2 products made in China and pumped out of a cold, lifeless machine that cares not for loved ones and has no admiration for death. The significance of the celebration and everything that makes up Dia De Los Muertos has gone to live with Santa and the fuzzy bunny. No longer will anyone take the time to make carefully decorated sugar skulls for their loved ones, to cook delicious meals over a scorching stove with love and devotion for those who have gone onto the next life as if they were going to step through the door at any minute to share some time and a meal with you.
If we do not guard Dia De Los Muertos, it will become nothing more than a Mexican Halloween with no heart and no soul, only plastic skulls, painted faces and another way for those on the outside to tighten their grips on something that was once ours alone. If you were to ask many of those dressed in wedding dresses and wooden masks what and where this celebration comes from, the best answer that you may get is, "It's a Mexican holiday celebrating the dead."
Many have no reverence for the history behind Lucha Libre, and they pull that mask over their face like it is a Mexican novelty item of no more importance than a rubber mask of Nixon on the 31st of October. The fate of our culture is in our hands alone to preserve what we have and retain a pure, unadulterated account of our history before it is thrown into the melting pot, producing yet another plastic trinket for all to discard when it has no more relevance.
The only thing that can still be true to the roots of Dia De Los Muertos, is the artwork that remains timeless. We asked a few artists from around the world to create a collection of masterpieces that represent Dia De Los Muertos through their own eyes. Enjoy!