Sugar skulls. Mexican skull: history, unusual facts

People who are little familiar with Mexican culture are shocked by the abundance of skulls and skeletons when visiting this country. Tourists are offered brightly colored skulls as souvenirs and fabrics with designs in the shape of skulls. These terrible symbols of death can be seen on national holidays. Even in clothing and hat stores there are mannequins that look like skeletons.

To understand the origins of the Mexican death cult, one will have to turn to the history of this country.

Origins of the death cult

In the Middle Ages, the Aztec Empire existed on the territory of modern Mexico. In the culture of this people, unlike Europe, death has never been a taboo topic. The Aztecs were no less concerned about their posthumous fate than the Christians, only the conditions for entering heaven in their religion were different. Warriors who died in battle and women who died during childbirth could count on a happy posthumous fate. Those who died peacefully in old age were met in the afterlife by the god Mictlantecuitli, wearing a mask in the form of a skull, and doomed the soul to complete destruction.

Such beliefs forced us to value life as much as possible and to appease death with sacrifices so that it would not rush to take a person. Thus was born the cult of death, inherited by modern Mexican culture from the Aztecs.

The cult of death received new impetus during the civil war that began in 1920, which required heroic self-sacrifice from many Mexicans.

In modern Mexican culture, a special attitude towards death remains. Mexicans call her "Black Lady", "Saint Death" and even "beloved" or "bride".

The day of the Dead

The quintessence of the Mexican death cult is the Day of the Dead, which is celebrated on November 1-2. Here there is an interaction between two traditions - pagan and Christian.

The Aztecs had two festivals of the dead: Mikkailuitontli was dedicated to dead children, and Socotuetzi was dedicated to adults. These holidays were combined with All Souls' Day, which the Catholic Church celebrates on November 2 - immediately after All Saints' Day. The indigenous people of Mexico rethought Christian customs: prayers for the dead were perceived by them as an appeal to the dead themselves, and alms, which Christians customarily give for the dead, were considered a sacrifice to the dead themselves.

The tradition of celebrating the Day of the Dead was picked up by immigrants from Europe and continues in modern Mexico. On November 1 and 2, Mexicans not only visit the graves of loved ones, but also organize solemn processions and turn to Lady Death with a request to grant health, happiness and quickly take away their enemies. Children these days are given sugar skulls and chocolate coffins.

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The Day of the Dead in Mexico coincides with the day before All Saints Day in Catholicism and, accordingly, with Halloween. Therefore, the image of Santa Muerte is very popular at Halloween costume parties.

In Mexico, this is a holiday of remembrance of the dead; according to tradition, altars with sugar skulls, verbena, and sweets are created, the graves of relatives are visited, and a carnival is held. This night, Mexicans hold parties in the cemetery, bringing gifts to their deceased relatives and decorating the graves with flowers.

The image of Catrina ("La Calavera de la Catrina", translated as "the fashionista"), the most popular at this carnival, is a female skeleton in a colorful dress. It differs from the image of the Dead Bride, first of all, in its greater love of life and decorativeness: if the Bride requires naturalistic makeup of a half-zombie, half-skeleton (as in Barton’s cartoon), then “sugar skull” is makeup, according to theatrical classification related to the makeup of mimes and clowns, that is, it does not take into account facial features and does not imply realism.

In addition to Katrina, the characteristic “sugar skull” makeup is worn by such characters as Santa Muerte herself (the main deity of the holiday) and her assistants.

In order to create a Katrina costume, three things are needed: a dress, a wreath and makeup.

The dress is simple: choose the most colorful, the most Mexican. We select suitable shoes for it, taking into account that, on the one hand, the shoes should be feminine, and on the other hand, comfortable for walking and dancing. Other options: a rockabilly outfit or a traditional Spanish dress with a mantilla.

This image is a cross between a young girl and a skeleton, so the following attributes and details must be observed:

Flowers on the head (hairpins or wreath), can be dried or artificial;

White skin with patterns, not only the face, but the whole body, in visible areas, is better to be made up, at least with tone and powder;

Black or burgundy manicure;

Crosses and skulls in jewelry are not only welcome, but also required; in general, jewelry should be intricate, romantic in style, perhaps antique jewelry;

Other attributes of the “femme fatale” (high heels, stockings, underwear) will also fit well into the image.

Makeup in the style of Santa Muerte or Sugar Skull

The most difficult part of the costume is, of course, the makeup. For it you will need:

Fat cream or Vaseline (if theatrical makeup is used as a white base, it dries the skin very much, but gives an even white color);

A jar of white theatrical makeup (you can use a very light foundation as a substitute);

Very light or transparent loose powder (to set makeup);

Black eyeliner or liner;

Pencil shadows, mousse shadows, just shadows, eye pencils and eyeliners of other colors (dark colors - blue, green, brown, purple - whatever you find);

Burgundy lip liner, nude lip liner, red lipstick;

Lengthening mascara or false eyelashes;

Wet wipes.

The must-haves, without which the look will not work, are a white base, dark shadows, black liner and red lipstick.

Step-by-step instructions on how to do sugar skull makeup:

1) Preparing the face for applying foundation. This means cleaning the face with a tonic or wet wipes, applying a rich cream or Vaseline, or a makeup base. Important: don’t lose the napkins, you’ll really need them after the party and you’ll need a lot of them; you can’t wash off theater makeup under the tap.

2) Applying a white tone to the face. Using a sponge, apply face painting or theatrical makeup firmly into the face, covering it completely with white, excluding the area around the eyes (there will be other colors there). Important: visible areas of the body, i.e. We also treat the neck, décolleté, arms (hands) with a white tone, shading the tone towards the clothes so that there is an imperceptible transition to the skin. To make it more believable, you can use dark shadows with a wide brush (kabuki) to shade the skull where it has depressions: on the cheeks, on the temples, you need to darken the forehead to the hair, along the line of the cheekbones from below. In any case, set the base with colorless loose powder.

3) lining the eye sockets with a dark eyebrow pencil. We outline, including the eyebrows, the sides of the nose, the cheekbones under the eyes, outlining the outline of the eye socket where it is on your skull. Important: feel your face before applying makeup to estimate the location of the bones. In fact, we “bring out” our own skull. We also draw the outline of the nasal cavity. Don’t make it too big; after all, our skull is decorative. You can make it anatomical, or vice versa, so that the shape of the depressions is arbitrary: so the nasal can be made double, in the form of a heart, a peak, a triangle... whatever your imagination is enough for (but it’s better to make the eye ones realistic).

4) Sketch the main pattern with an eyebrow pencil. You don’t have to point, this is just an outline. You can see the pattern in drawings, photos, or come up with it yourself. These are mainly pin-up style tattoo motifs: roses, cobwebs, ornaments and curls.

5) Filling the eye sockets with a dark (but not black) color. Mousse shadows and a wide brush will do. The technique is the same as for “smoky eyes”, you can also apply mascara right there.

6) outlining a pencil pattern with a liner, eyeliner, and an eye marker. A mousse shadow (for example, from Maybelline) and a thin brush will do. You can also add small details to the pattern.

7) Using an eyeshadow brush, the inner part of the eye is shaded, more volume is added, and the moving eyelids are drawn darker.

8) Using an eyeshadow brush of different colors, the pigment is driven in to fill in the color pattern. You can do it with lipstick and eye shadow pencils (easier and more convenient).

9) At the end, the teeth are drawn again with whitewash and a shadow brush (with the entire plane of the brush). A specific “monster mouth” is created when the smile is drawn wider than the mouth. The interdental spaces and the gap between the lips are made with an eyebrow pencil or dark shadows (thin brush). Important: do not forget that the teeth are not square, but rounded; also draw the inside of the lips dark.

10) Apply meteorite or shimmer powder to cheekbones and high points of skull. Smile.

Makeup in the style of Santa Muerte or Sugar Skull: video

I bring to your attention three master classes on creating sugar skull makeup. The difference between them lies mainly in what decor and what designs the girls chose for their makeup. The third option is perhaps the most glamorous. Why not add some rhinestones to the gloomy image? The choice of colors and patterns in makeup is yours and depends on your imagination)

While part of the planet is actively preparing for Halloween, a preparation parade (“La Catrina”) took place in Mexico in honor of another surprisingly “scary” and very original holiday of Dia de Los Muertos - “Day of the Dead.”

We'll tell you what kind of game this is and why the holiday is interesting. Go.

1. Day of the Dead is a centuries-old tradition that could not be eradicated

The history of the holiday dates back to the Mayans and Aztecs. Their faith was closely connected with the rituals of death and resurrection. Local residents (before the Spanish conquest of Mexico) often kept real skulls of the dead in their homes, as symbols of death and resurrection.

Every year, the Aztecs organized a real month of sacrifice (modern August), as a sign of respect for the dead, the afterlife and its patron, the goddess Mictlancihuatl.

The Indians believed that death only marks the transition of a person from one state to another. In other words, death for them is only a transformation, after which the journey of life does not end.

Despite the fact that the indigenous population of Central America was forcibly converted to Catholicism, it was not possible to eradicate the strong tradition. Neither 500 years of Catholic propaganda, nor crossing with the religious calendar, nor soft integration into Christian canons helped.

All that the Catholic Church managed to do was move the holiday to the first day of November, when the church celebrates All Saints' Day. So-so achievement.

The Day of the Dead has remained a distinctive pagan holiday, with its own symbols and traditions.

2. Modern integration and the Day of the Dead symbol

In modern society, the zinc engraving “Calavera Catrina” by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada has become a symbol of the Day of the Dead. He depicted a skeletal-faced woman in high society clothing and called her "La Calavera de la Catrina", showing that the rich and fashionable are just as mortal as everyone else.

Katrina figurines have become an integral part of the holiday and an excellent Mexican souvenir.

It is believed that this is what Mictlancihuatl, in whose honor the Indians made sacrifices, should have looked like.

3. Since childhood, Mexicans have had an absolutely friendly relationship with death.

Modern Mexican children from a young age see images of Katrina, play with skeletons, and eat playful cakes in the shape of coffins and skulls. Game! But thus, little Mexicans are not afraid of the idea of ​​death, for them it is absolutely common.

4. Mexicans celebrate the holiday for two days in a row.

Day of the Dead is celebrated for two consecutive days on November 1st and 2nd. It is believed that it is on these days that the souls of deceased relatives visit their home. On November 1, Mexicans communicate with the souls of deceased children, and the next day with the souls of adult relatives.

• Nov. 1- Little Angels Day (Día de Angelitos), when departed children and infants are honored
• November 2- Día de los Muertos is the day when deceased adults are remembered

No mourning or days of sorrow. It is believed that this holiday is a great reason to laugh at death and actively enjoy life.

5. Traditions that may shock

For the Day of the Dead, Mexicans prepare altars brightly decorated with flowers in memory of deceased relatives.

Favorite things, food, drinks of the deceased relative, sweets are placed on the pedestals, and candles are lit. It is believed that the soul of a deceased relative should remember the taste of earthly dishes. Many display altars right on the streets, and competitions (!) are held to determine the best pedestal.

Altars can also be seen in offices, public places on the streets and squares of cities.

Traditional baked goods for the holiday - Pan de muerte (Bread of the Dead) - a loaf sprinkled with granulated sugar, on top of which a bread ball is baked, symbolizing a skull. A sort of Mexican “cake for the dead.”

The culmination of the holiday is a visit to the cemetery. The Mexicans are having a noisy parties with songs and dances. They also have long conversations with deceased relatives and remember fun facts from the life of the deceased.

6. Cities of the dead. Not scary

During the holiday, its symbols (skulls and skeletons) are drawn almost everywhere. Most often they smile and are made in bright holiday colors.

On the eve of the holiday, you can find various variations of skeletons, skulls and coffins in stores in the form of sweets and desserts.

In addition, they sell a lot of themed decorations, souvenirs and other holiday attributes.

In large cities, spectacular street processions, noisy carnivals, impromptu exhibitions and fairs are organized, in small cities - cemetery picnics.

7. Hollywood and “Day of the Dead”

“Dead” carnivals have been played out more than once in Hollywood films. One of the most famous is the opening scene in the latest James Bond film, Specter. Exotic surroundings and spectacular staging.

In November, a new colorful cartoon from the Pixar studio, “The Secret of Coco,” will be released on the big screens, in which such an unusual holiday is played out.

“Day of the Dead” is an integral part of the life of every Mexican*.

The Mexican poet Octavio Paz once said: “The Mexican, instead of fearing death, seeks its company, teases it, flirts with it. This is his favorite toy and enduring love.” Everyone goes crazy in their own way.

*The holiday is popular in many Latin American countries: Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador.

By the way, in 2003, the Day of the Dead holiday was included by UNESCO in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

This is not a pop Halloween.

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The Mexican skull is a very common symbol today that can be seen in a variety of areas. He inspires fashion designers of clothing, accessories and home goods, make-up artists and make-up artists, tattoo artists and decorators, painters, sculptors and designers of all kinds.

It may seem that a skull painted with multi-colored curls carries a threatening meaning or negative energy. But as soon as you learn more about this symbol, your attitude towards it changes to the opposite. Our article will answer the questions of those who are interested in unusual turtles. A small selection of colorful illustrations will only confirm that this image is not scary at all.

History of the symbol

There are many names that go by this image. The most common ones are calavera, Mexican or sugar skull.

The history of the skull is associated with Mexico. There he represents the Day of the Dead - an ancient holiday that was born as a result of the fusion of ancient local culture and the traditions of the Spanish conquistadors.

Missionaries brought a new religion and new customs to the mainland. One of them was All Saints' Day. Those celebrating were supposed to donate money to the church, which was supposed to help deceased relatives in the afterlife.

But pagan traditions looked at death differently. The local population did not consider someone’s death a grief, and no one there knew about the suffering of souls in purgatory. The dead in Mexico were remembered during holidays whose names can hardly be pronounced at first: Mikailuitontli and Socotueztli. However, none of these days were mournful. On the contrary, the population was having fun.

One should not expect that hardened pagans would instantly learn to be sad at the behest of newcomers from Old Europe. That did not happen. The holidays were as fun as they were. And the natives did not bring gold to the local churches, but gifts: juicy fruits, delicate flowers, ripe grain. Moreover, the gifts were not addressed to the church at all, but directly to relatives who had departed to a better world.

The mixture of customs gave rise to a single holiday called Dia de los Muertos. One of the main attributes of the event was an unusual character - Katrina Calavera. She was a skeleton, but not a simple one, but decorated with everything possible and dressed in a luxurious dress. But what about it? It's a holiday after all!

It was in honor of this lady that the Mexicans began to prepare a treat - sugar skulls decorated with multi-colored glaze. Later, the same Mexican skull began to be used for other paraphernalia: garlands, street lamps, outfits, masks and much more. Over the years, the variety of applications has only increased, because this image has become a kind of symbol of the country. But the calavera skull has become so popular that it can be found almost everywhere.

Makeup and makeup “Mexican Skull”

Today, there are lovers of colorful skulls all over the world. This image inspires make-up artists and makeup artists. Nowadays, Mexican Skull makeup for Halloween, carnival or costume party is quite common.

It is not difficult to cope with the task even for those who do not have special education. It is enough to have basic skills in applying cosmetics. If you decide to do such an experiment, our little cheat sheet will help with this.

1. The basic complexion tone is usually light. It can even be white or silver, but if you don’t like such radical transformations, use a regular foundation, the color of which is several shades lighter than your “native” one.
2. Highlight the area around the eyes. Usually it is made black, purple, dark green. You can use other shades, including gold and silver.
3. Lips are usually painted in the color of the main tone of the face. And thin lines are drawn from the corners of the mouth to the cheeks, putting perpendicular lines on them to give them a resemblance to a skull.
4. The tip of the nose should also be highlighted dark.
5. You can and even need to use rhinestones and other decorative elements (they can be secured with glue for false eyelashes).
6. Using thin makeup pencils, you can draw flowers on your cheeks, chin, and forehead.

De los Muertos style mask

What carnival can do without this accessory? There are a huge variety of ready-made masks on sale, but you can make this stylish little thing yourself. To do this, you will need a white, plain base mask, which can be found in any party supplies department. The “Mexican Skull” (female) mask can be painted with ordinary acrylic paints according to the same principle as makeup: dark areas around the eyes and on the tip of the nose, painting with flowers, rhinestone decorations. Want more decorativeness? Remember how the Indians decorated Catrina Calavera and use the same materials. Roses made of foamiran or plastic, lace, beads and bows will harmoniously fit into the overall style.

Skulls on the catwalk and in everyday fashion

Those who follow fashion have probably already remembered one of the most famous and eminent skull lovers - Alexander McQueen. He used this element to create bags, shoes, clothing, jewelry, and accessories. His models, which intertwine luxury and dark gothic style, have more than once conquered the fashion world with their unique charm.

A Mexican-style skull can often be seen on everyday clothing. Moreover, it is equally popular among both sexes who like to dress up.

The illustration above shows a model from ZARA's recent collection. Many models decorated with a sugar skull can be found in the catalogs of the fashionable youth brand Pull&Bear.

Home accessories

Surely you noticed the collection of funny sofa cushions (photo below), which are decorated with a Mexican skull. This home accessory, as well as many others in the same spirit, was created by Chinese designers. In the Middle Kingdom, calavera also found many admirers. Today you can easily find curtains, bed linen, dishes and other household goods on sale. And one of the most famous toy manufacturers, the American company Mattel, even released a Skelita doll, the make-up of which is made in the best traditions of the Day of the Dead.

Mexican skull in tattoo art

Tattoo artists have long chosen this expressive subject for their works. The skull can be made in either black and white or bright colors. To make the tattoo harmonious and complete, it is complemented with roses, beads, lace and ribbons.

As we can see, the image really does not contain anything terrible. On the contrary, his distinctive aesthetic often inspires those who think positively and believe that earthly death is just the beginning of the next stage.

Mexico is a country that many travelers from different parts of the world seek to visit. Mexico gives its guests the opportunity not only to fully relax on magnificent beaches, but also to get acquainted with an interesting culture, ancient architectural monuments and unusual cuisine. When talking about this country, many people think of the colorful Mexican skull.

Cultural heritage

Mexican culture is very surprising to foreigners who come here for the first time. Images of skeletons and skulls haunt travelers everywhere. In souvenir shops, tourists are happy to show symbols of death and offer to buy bright multi-colored skulls or materials with a pattern in the form of skulls as souvenirs.

Tourists are perplexed by skeleton-shaped mannequins in stores. Horrible figures associated with the end of life are present on all national holidays. To understand this, you need to study the historical past of the state. And only then can you understand what the Mexican skull means.

Death cult

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory of the country was inhabited by the Aztecs. Unlike the Europeans, the Aztecs did not strictly prohibit the topic of death. The religion of this people told people in a slightly different way about the reasons that bring a person’s soul to heaven.

According to the teaching, only valiant warriors who certainly died in battle, or women who died during childbirth, can find happiness after death. All the rest, who peacefully passed away from this life in old age, were waiting for a meeting with the god Mictlantecuitli. He appeared before the deceased wearing a skull-shaped mask and designated his soul for destruction. Believing this, the Aztecs loved this world even more and made sacrifices, thereby trying to appease Her Majesty Death. Mexican skull culture is still being studied today.

Modern Mexicans revere death and come up with affectionate definitions for it:

• Black Mistress;
• darling;
• Holy Death;
• bride.

Festival of the Dead

The result of the fusion of Christian and pagan cultures was the Festival of the Dead. During Aztec times, funeral rituals were performed. There were two main ones:

• Mikkailuitontli in honor of deceased children.
• Sokotuetsi, dedicated to the memory of the adult generation.

Then the Catholics conquered the territories and brought their holiday - All Souls' Day, which is celebrated on November 2, immediately after

Gradually, these holidays merged, and modern residents of Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead for two whole days in early November. The Mexican skull is often used to create carnival souvenirs and costumes.

Many believe that on November 1-2, the souls of deceased loved ones can visit the living. Mexicans come to the cemetery, bring gifts to the graves, talk with the souls of the deceased, and remember the best moments in life. But these days there is no place for sadness and sorrow.
People organize various entertainment events, turn to the Goddess of Death and ask her for happiness, health and troubles for enemies. Death for them is not the end of life.

The symbol is Calavera, which means "Mexican skull" in Spanish. Even children do not stay away from this holiday. They happily eat chocolate coffins and sugar skulls.

Calavera Tattoos

Recently, tattoos with images of death symbols have become very popular. It can be:

• crosses;
• skulls;
• snakes;
• crows.

Applying a tattoo to the body is not only another way to express respect to people who have left this world forever, to bow to their memory, but also a symbol of courage and rebirth. This is why many people order a Mexican skull. The meaning of the picture does not convey anything terrible or terrifying.

Calavera - who is this?

But at the peak of popularity among tattoos is the symbol of the Day of the Dead - Calavera. depicted as a girl with a skull instead of a head, flowers instead of eyes. The skull is decorated with amazing patterns, in which floral motifs occupy an important place.

Tattoos with the image of Calavera are preferred to be tattooed on the chest, hips or shoulders. They also make two symmetrical tattoos at once, for example, on the arms and hips. Clothing manufacturers also often use her image. T-shirts and T-shirts with skulls in bright colors are especially loved by the younger generation. During the carnival, many girls wear a mask depicting the Queen of the Dead. In Mexico, this outfit is especially popular.

The Day of the Dead is a tradition that originated in the country long before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. This is the most national and very much in Mexico, the main attribute of which is the Mexican skull. Not only adults, but also children love him. And many Mexicans are sure that if it did not exist, it would definitely have to be invented.