SAND CARPETS OF THE DAY OF THE DEAD
On the Day of the Dead there are many artistic and cultural activities, one of them is to see, mainly outside the pantheons, the sand carpets. But what are the sand carpets?
They are an artistic activity, which takes place on the day of the dead, starting on November 1st in the morning, and at night they are ready to be seen.
Sand carpets are not their real name, they are called levantadas de cruz. This is because when someone dies these sand mats are made, but they are not made until the cross is lifted from the grave. The cross is placed in the center of the mat.
They have their origin in the pre-Hispanic time, where they represented images of the gods, later the artwork portrayed images of saints, the Virgin, or Jesus Christ.
They are made of natural materials such as wood, earth and sand, and are decorated with colored sand and glitter.
Currently in the most urbanized areas they are losing the tradition, but in the villages it is still done, and more frequently, on the day of the dead.
When coming to Oaxaca on the Day of the Dead, help rescue this tradition by visiting pantheons where sand mats are displayed, like in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán.