UJ #17 - Traditional Peru

NOVEMBER | DAY OF THE DEATH
Diego Oliver
Death is not always synonymous with sadness. In fact,
many cultures – including ancient Peruvians like the
Moche and Incas – see death as a rite of passage into
the “next life.” Proof of this is that many ancient peoples
were buried with their belongings and sometimes even
with other people in order to make sure that these things
would accompany them in their journey to the next world.
Mexico’s infamous festivities are generally what come
to mind when thinking about the Day of the Dead.
Nonetheless, each country has its own customs to
commemorate those no longer with us, and Peru is no
exception. In the Andes, guaguas replace Mexico’s sugar
skeletons, and altars are modified in accordance to local
Andean traditions.
During the Spanish rule, people were buried in catacombs
close to the churches in order to be “closer to God.” In
1808, Lima’s first cemetery – the Presbiterio Maestro –
was inaugurated, and became the last stop for the city’s
aristocrats. Today, over 200 years and countless cultural
and urban changes later, there is a new Lima cemetery
that is getting the attention: Nueva Esperanza, located in
Diego Oliver
the peripheral district of Villa Maria del Triunfo.
Since 1961, over one million people – many of them
descendants of migrants who came from the country’s
rural areas – have been buried in the cemetery’s 60
hectares. Hundreds of small houses and colourful
niches decorate the sandy landscape that spans across
the hillsides. To enter this cemetery on the 1st or 2nd
of November is to enter another dimension. Beyond
the customary flowers and balloons, people arrive to
celebrate their loved ones with musicians, bottles of their
favourite liquors, and typical dishes from their places of
origin, gradually turning this small city of the dead into
one huge party.
For many, the
Nueva Esperanza
Cemetery is like a
small city. There
are even some
peculiar “buildings,”
like this one.
Provinces like Cajamarca and Arequipa celebrate the day
with the popular guagua breads. These sweet breads are
made from a special recipe, and decorated with sugar
THE FIRST CHRISTIANS CELEBRATED
THE DEAD FOR ONE WEEK DURING
THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. IT WAS
NOT UNTIL THE X CENTURY THAT THE
2ND OF NOVEMBER WAS CHOSEN AS
THE OFFICIAL COMMEMORATIVE DATE.
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Entire families congregate to
spend the Day of the Dead with
their deceased family member.