Dead Reckoning Mexican Cardboard Art Exhibit Celebrates Death as Continuation by Julio Trujillo "In Mexico, we are not afraid of death," said Maria Austin of the Mexican Cultural Institute. Judging from the more than 60 paper skeletons surrounding her, she may be right. The Mexican Cultural Institute is celebrating death as an art form in "From Life to Death: The Arts and Crafts of Mexican Cardboard Crafting," origins of which come from the Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares in Mexico City. The Mexican Cultural Institute invited 17 artisans from Mexico to create new pieces specifically for the exhibit. "This is the first type of exhibit, an homage to cardboard art, that has ever appeared in the United States that I am aware of," said Roberto Martinez, director of special events at the institute. All together, the artists created 62 individual pieces of art. The exhibit is part of Mexicoís annual Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead celebration. Every year, the institute plans some type of cultural celebration to recognize the importance of Dia de los Muertos on Mexican life. Dia de los Muertos is an often misunderstood Mexican celebrat ion with a long and interesting history. The three-day festival originates from the amalgamation of Aztec and other Mesoamerican death rituals with the Roman Catholic belief systems. Originally, the Aztec cultures paid homage to the simultaneous birth and death of the goddess Mictecacihuatl, or Lady of the Dead, with a month-long festival that celebrated death as simply the continuation of life into a new stage. To the Spaniards who conquered Mexico in the 16th century, these rituals were sacrilegious. However, because the indigenous people would not let go of their festivities, the Spaniards changed them. They moved the event from around August to All Saints and All Souls days on Nov. 1 and 2, replacing many of the religious symbols from indigenous ones to Roman Catholic versions. Tl?loc, the Rain God of the Aztecs, for instance, was transformed into San Isidro, or San Cristibal, on the devotional alters important to the celebration. Today, Dia de los Muertos continues in different forms throughout Mexico and parts of the United States and Central America. Family members create altars to remember their loved ones who have passed away. The altars are supposed to contain four elements: fliers and streamers to sway in the wind, religious candles, glasses of water and salt to represent the earth. Each altar also often contains the deceasedís favorite foods and drinks and other things that were important to them while they were alive. Family members will take these alters to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. This time spent at the cemeteries becomes a reunion of sorts that are usually just as joyous as they are mournful. Paper flowers and other decorations are put up around the cemeteries. Then people eat, drink and celebrate the lives of those who have passed on with toasts. The cardboard art seen at the Mexican Cultural Institute has similar mixed origins as Dia de los Muertos, although nobody is certain exactly how cardboard art was developed. "Cardboard art is very antique," said Martinez. "They used cardboard as a material probably because it was so cheap." All of the art created for the exhibit was formed out of cardboard, wire, colored paper and a special type of glue made of flour and wateróimpressive given that such intricate artwork was created using such humble materials. The altar at the Mexican Cultural Institute contains more than 150 pieces of cardboard art designed by Adalberto ¡lvarez. His altar includes food such as tamales and cakes, candles with flames and other piecesóall done in cardboard. Most of the other pieces in the exhibit are calacas, or skeletons, dressed up to represent different aspects of Mexican life. One truly amazing piece features a group of skeletons sharing food around a fire. Some of the pieces are more symbolic. For example, one shows an indigenous warrior attacking a skeleton dressed up as Superman. The exhibit not only offers people in the United States a unique chance to view a superb type of art that they would not normally see, it also gives them a chance to celebrate an occasion most only see as a somber end. "From Life to Death" runs through Dec. 7 at the Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 728-1628. Julio Trujillo is the editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.