AKA Day of the Dead… a holiday celebrated in Latin America and by
Latin Americans living in the US and Canada. It’s a gathering time.
Friends and family unite to remember those close to them who have
passed into the great beyond.
It’s a time when Central and South American artists craft intricate
works of gold in the creation of religious symbols often
representing gods while incorporating sacred objects and animals.
Which brings us… by the sheerest of coincidences… to an image I
have to show you of a Mexican ornament portraying a golden mask of
the dead. Is it a brooch, you ask? Is it a pendant, you inquire? Ah
mes amis… the answer to this is quite simple. I dunno. They won’t
tell me. It shall remain one of those mysteries of life… greater
even perhaps than the mystery of death.
But I digress. Let me proceed. Aside from the showing of golden
crafts… the day of the dead is a time of deep tradition… where
altars are built to honor the deceased. Sugar skulls are made…
filled with marigolds and favorite foods and beverages of thems that
went. These are brought to their graves as gifts… possibly I would
guess to ensure that it could never be said that their dead go
hungry.
It is a time of celebration which Mexico can trace back to
civilizations over 2500 years old. It was common back then to keep
skulls as trophies. The occasion is celebrated on two different
days. November 1st to honor children and infants. November 2nd for
adults.
Celebrations are often humorous–who said death is nothing to laugh
at–as celebrants recall funny stories about the dearly departed.
Perhaps on my stone–when the time comes --if it ever does as I have
no intention of departing… someone will place a choice Tidbits in
the eye of a gold and diamond skull… along with some marigolds to
attract the souls of the dead… and some stinkweed perhaps to ward
off all unspoken opinions of articles once written. That while you
all tell jokes that will have me rolling in my casket till I split
my sides with joy and die once again–this time from laughter–which
will be about as much humor as I’ll be able to stand while lying.
So… all this to show you a golden mask of death. Who woulda thunk
it? Wanna see? Go. Rip through the thin veils of the Internet…
pierce the hidden mysteries of Tyler Adam Corp’s website… and
behold the miracles of gold and death… of masks and
celebrations… of craftsmanship of jewelers of days of old who had
nothing but primitive tools and a superabundance of skills and
imagination.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at http://www.tyler-adam.com where you
will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that
says Current Tidbits… click it…and you will see represented on
our pages a Mexican Mask of Death… date of origin and value
unknown.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark