November 2 - Day of the Dead

This is the final installment and last of the posts dedicated to the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos in San Antonio's Mission Park South Cemetery.

November 1 - The Day of the Innocents

Celebrations of El Día de los Muertos generally consider November 1st as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels).

Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos or the little angels), or other ofrendas (offerings) such as the deceased's favorite candies on the grave.

El Dia de los Muertos

In communities with a large hispanic or Mexican population, El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is celebrated as it has been in Mexico since the time of the Aztecs. During this period, families usually clean and decorate the graves with offerings or ofrendas. The celebration continues over two days. November 1st is to honor children and infants and is referred to as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels).

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Over the past weekend, the cemetery of Mission Park South has been filled with families meeting to clean and decorate graves.

See Wikipedia for more information on celebrations of El Día de los Muertos.

Tombstone Tuesday: A different sort of tombstone

JAMES LUTHER SLAYDEN

Kentucky 1853 - Texas 1924
Member of Congress 1897-1919
One who loved his fellow men
and labored for
universal peace

When I set off several years ago to find the grave of distant cousin James Luther Slayden at the Mission Park South Cemetery, the style of his stone was surprising to say the least. The small boulder on the right is the gravestone of his wife, Ellen Maury Slayden.

Ellen Maury Slayden is credited with conceiving in 1891 the idea for the Battle of Flowers Parade held yearly in San Antonio in memory of the fallen heroes at the Alamo and to commemorate the victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, where Texas had gained its independence from Mexico. She was famous in her own right and the dairies she kept while in Washington were published in 1962 under the title Washington Wife.

More about the Slaydens at The Handbook of Texas Online.

Mausoleums and More

A gorgeous fall day in south Texas prompted a visit to Mission Park South Cemetery on San Antonio's south side. No gravestones of pioneers migrating west, here the overall impression is of the opulence of the 1920's - those grand days before the Great Depression.