A MUSEUM ABOUT DIA DE MUERTOS

Today I want to share about a wonderful place I discovered during my trip to my hometown, in Toluca, México last month: Museo del Alfeñique. This museum features exhibitions about Día de Muertos, ofrendas, calaveritas, and alfeñiques (sugar confections).

To be honest I didn’t know this museum existed, but with Abuelita’s Gift coming out soon, I had to go and check it out. My only regret, is that I didn’t have my book with me to take pictures in the perfect setting. I’ll have to return next year!

Museo del Alfeñique is located in an antique house in downtown Toluca and it’s considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Once you arrive you are welcomed by a huge Catrín, which is the male counterpart of La Catrina. As you step inside you can look up and see the colorful papel picado hanging from the beams in the patio, as well as huge Catrinas standing tall and elegant in different fancy dresses. One of them was even wearing the typical dress from Chiapas. It was such a beautiful sight! I wish they had also featured the dress from Veracruz, which is the one Abuelita and Julieta wear in the book.

The museum’s exhibition consists of different rooms holding pieces that are related to Día de Muertos celebration, such as papel picado, calaveritas, common dulces of the season, lambs and pigs made from alfeñique, etc.

I particularly loved the room in which big calaveras (robots) were moving and explaining about how alfeñique came to México – La Ruta del Azúcar. I also enjoyed reading the different quotes related to life, love, and death; which were displayed on top of the doors, written in Spanish and English.

Another room highlighted an ofrenda, which had labels explaining what the different elements mean. This made me smile because Abuelita’s Gift has that kind of back matter, so that readers can have a better understanding of ofrendas and the celebration of Día de Muertos. Next to the ofrenda, there was a huge sugar calaverita with the name Juana. However, just beside it, there was a box with different letters so that you could personalize the skull with your own name as the tradition goes. My daughter had a great time adding her name to the calaverita and we took nice pictures with it. As you can see there was also a huge alfeñique deer, which is very popular in Feria del Alfeñique (Día de Muertos market) every year.

Once we were done with our visit, I got to talk to the staff in charge of the museum. I was glad to share about my books with them, and to tell them there will be a Spanish edition available too! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they could add the book to their exhibition? We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.

Museo del Alfeñique is definitely a charming place to visit if you want to learn more about this wonderful Mexican tradition. Being able to walk through those rooms and see all those elements that I have included in my book was really special. Without a doubt, it was a high in my trip back home this year. If you ever want to visit this museum, you can find more info here.

Lastly, please keep in mind Abuelita’s Gift and El regalo de abuelita will be released on September 10th, 2024. Less than 2 months to go! Both books are available to preorder and there are signed copies available too! Check out the QR code for more information. Thanks so much for your support! 💜

Thanks for reading!

M

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📸 Cover photo by Jon.