Comida y Adornos

1st Perodo Marlee Evans

Pan de muertos
- Bread of the Dead - An ancient culinary tradition of the Day of the Dead.

Calacas
- Skeleton figures that represent death. - Origin comes from Aztec imagery.

Papel picados
- Colorful tissue paper with intricate, festive designs cut out. - Aztecs used mulberry and fig tree bark to make thick paper and punched designs into it with a kind of chisel.

Mole
- A thick sauce made from a variety of ingredients, including chilis, sesame seeds, herbs, spices, chocolate and fruit. - Puebla and Oaxaca claim to be the origin of mole, their people having prepared the sauce for centuries.

Calaveras de azucar
- Sugar skulls made for the Da de los Muertos. - Used for celebrations as early as the 17th century.

Cempazuchitl
- A yellow marigold, the symbol of death. - Originally used by the Aztecs in religious ceremonies.

Atole
- An ancient drink made from cornmeal and water and flavored with various fruits. - Comes from the Aztec civilization, used in celebrations and common among poor folk.

Copalli
- A scented resin used to make incense. - Aztecs used it for incense.

Tamales
- Seasoned meat wrapped in cornmeal dough and steamed or baked in corn husks. - Mayans prepared them for feasts as early as the Preclassic period.

Tapetes de arena
- Colorful sand paintings and tapestries. - When a person dies, after the burial, a sand tapestry is made in their home. The tapestry depicts a religious image that the person who died had a devotion for.