Our New Anahuac

Muertos Altar

Every year, Macario Ramirez shares his knowledge of building a Dia De Los Muertos altar.  Every October Saturday at 10AM at his Heights art shop, Casa Ramirez, he teaches for an hour what he has learned during his life about making our ancestors feel welcomed back in our midst. 

My daughter and have been keeping an altar for some time and we were happy to learn from someone with so much experience and notoriety around town.  I last saw Macario at a rally against 287(g) in Moody Park, and I am glad mija and I stopped by today.

I don’t think that he would disagree that his class covers the basics on how to construct an altar, the elements present and some of the experiences that go along with building an altar.

Mr. Ramirez takes a universalised approach to his altars in that he seems comfortable integrating the tradition with differing faiths and customs, at least to a certain extent.  There are limits, says Mr. Ramirez.

“I liked that he taught us what we can do, and that including a little bit of negatives is ok,” said Citlali, my little girl.  “My favorite part would be when he told us about his father, and I liked when he passed around the pictures of all the beautiful altars,” she continued.

Macario shows the shoebox altars, while the class looks at photos of other altars

“The marigolds represent the sun,” said Macario, “which is an important part of the Aztec tradition.  This comes from old times.”  Macario taught that there were three levels of a proper altar, plus the madre tierra/Tonantzin/Our Sacred Mother Earth (which I count as four total levels!).

I was most inspired by his willingness to teach publicly about these traditions, especially when he recounted that as he was growing up, his mother decided not to continue his grandmother’s altar tradition for fear of being branded a witch.  He said it was time to bring the traditions out into the open, a sentiment that I consider him brave for expressing.  His openness has inspired me to be more open about my spiritual practices and beliefs with the movement Mexicayotl.

My understanding of the altar is that in our traditions, we keep the altar year round.  The altar is not compartmentalized as part of a season or event.  The altar and Muertos in general is part of a larger belief system which is constant and ongoing.  This is why I keep the Azteca Day Count on the top level of the altar, because we recognize our loved ones and we recognize death as part of daily life. 

We have a pact with death.  This pact is that one day we will meet her.  She is as much a part of life as life is a part of death.  Just as every good is a part of a bad, and just as Mother Earth can be as destructive as constructive.  Those who lived through Hurricane Ike may attest to this.

The altar is only a home version of a teokalli, spirit house, known shallowly as a pyramid.  At the bottom sits Mother Earth, at the top, the sky, the entrance to the sun.  The four elements (earth, water, wind and sun) are present.  Both the teokalli and altar are used to venerate.

Death, time, spirits and elements are all interrelated on the altar.  Without an understanding of the cycle of time,  without an understanding of the elements, without an understanding of death and spirits, and its proper place among the people of Anahuac, the altar and Muertos is reduced to a cultural event, like mariachi music or ballet folklorico. 

This is not a critique of Macario Ramirez’s excellent and heartfelt work.  Culture is where it starts.  His workshop spoke of sensitivity toward different religious and spiritual elements in the altar, and I only share a small glimpse into these spiritual beliefs, the Beliefs of Our New Anahuac.