Cockscomb flowers (Celosia argentea var. cristata) and Marigolds (Tagetes erecta) are common mortuary flowers used in Oaxaca for Día de Muertos.
Fleurs de los Muertos (10)
Cempasúchil, aka marigolds, are the traditional flower of the dead and are the most-used flowers during this holiday. The Aztecs gathered the wild plant as well as cultivating it for medicinal, ceremonial and decorative purposes. In Zapotec society, it was chosen for two reasons: yellow is the color of death and for it’s strong fragrance.
Día de Muertos (9)
A mother and her two sons walk the streets of Oaxaca. Their costumes attract tourists and provide an opportunity to collect money for their school.
Chinas Oaxaqueñas - detail
Although there are no immediately obvious Chinese references in the costumes the dancers sew themselves, or in the jewelry they wear, the Chinas Oaxaqueñas retain their enigmatic name, which comes from the “Barrio de China,” a neighborhood that was home to a large population of Chinese factory workers and builders in the mid-20th century. Known in Spanish as Chinas, they taught the native Oaxacans in their neighborhoods how to do silk embroidery, and their legacy remains in the silk rebozos—the shawl-like scarves that add brilliant, but demure, coverage, for a dual purpose that is both reverent and festive. Source: https://www.vogue.com/article/china-oaxaquena-oaxaca-city-mexico-folk-dancer-costumes-video-guelaguetza-calendas
Calenda de Bodas in Oaxaca
Chinas Oaxaqueñas accompany the bride and flower girl in a wedding parade through the streets of Oaxaca
Traditional hair braids joined using ribbon in Oaxaca
Many Zapotec women wear their hair in two long braids using ribbon to keep it out of the way of daily tasks like cooking, cleaning and weaving.
