Alina Gutierrez is very focused on painting her sugar skull.

“It's the first time I've done it and I love it,” says Alina, who along with a group of women, young people, and children joined the artist Aldo Cruz to learn how to decorate sugar skulls, an element that is a must on the altars for the Day of the Dead that many Mexicans set up in their homes to honor their loved ones who have passed away.

“I like painting these skulls because it helps the community a lot and brings us together around creative things,” she says.

This October, the Mexican Consulate General in Los Angeles offered two sugar skull workshops at its facilities, taught by Oaxacan artist Aldo Cruz.

While continuing to decorate her skull, Alina says that these types of workshops show that the Consulate is not just for processing paperwork, but also offers spaces for unifying and developing creativity.

“By spending time together during the workshop, people share their problems, and that helps direct people toward other services that the Consulate offers,” she says.

The sugar skulls are an offering to honor the deceased. These small works of art can be made of sugar or paper.

According to the official Mexican government website, no Day of the Dead offering would be complete without traditional sugar skulls. Their origin comes from Mesoamerican cultures for whom death was the conclusion of a stage of life that extended to another level.

The skulls were used on altars in Mesoamerican cultures, and the sugar version was adopted during the colonial era. Small skulls usually represent children, large ones adults, and the color is associated with the celebration of life.

A display of love

For Aldo, these workshops to teach how to decorate skulls help people understand the great chasm that exists between Halloween and the Day of the Dead.

“On Halloween you are talking about terror, monsters and evil beings, and when you talk about the Day of the Dead you are talking about our loved ones, about love, affection, family, togetherness, food.”

He said that unfortunately the media and globalization have distorted what the Day of the Dead and Halloween are.

“The Day of the Dead is part of our tradition, and we shouldn't allow it to be distorted, and these workshops help us understand the difference.”

But he also says that by continuing the tradition of making and decorating sugar skulls, they reaffirm that Day of the Dead traditions shouldn't be lost.

“Through these workshops, we have lived together and communicated, and by decorating the skulls, we explore our senses: sight, taste, touch, because we are working with textures, colors, vibrations, and paintings.”

In short, he says that with the skulls, participants learn arts and rescue their cultures and traditions. the artist Ricardo Single.

“He opened the doors of his house to me when I wanted to grow up, and taught me the techniques of wallpapering, I began to create my own pieces; Little by little I have been learning, and for years I have been designing monumental altars for Hollywood Forever, the Los Angeles Opera, the Plaza Mexico, the Guadalajara Film Festival and this year, I am going to create one for the Mexican Consulate.”

In addition to being a visual artist, Aldo is a folkloric dance teacher and 22 years ago he founded the Princesa Donaji ballet in Los Angeles with children, young people and adults.

Paper and paint

He shares that the main elements to make and decorate the calaveritas are a special paper, paste and paints.

“You create your skull, and from that you can take many pieces, and then you decorate it however you want.”

He says that in 20 minutes, Alina was already an expert in decorating skulls, because she loves art.

“Almudena works on a blue piece. There are options, because most of the skulls are white, like the color of bones. they've already held five this year.

“This skull decorating workshop is to cultivate Mexican traditions, and the idea is for the community that comes for their documents to participate. The workshops and materials are free.”

The consul adds that these workshops offer people a manual activity that makes them forget what's happening outside.

"Decorating the skulls is a creative activity that allows them to use their artistic skills. We don't want to call it that, but it's like therapy from everything that's happening outside."

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