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La Muerte en México

Location: CDMX

Story Date: Dec 3, 2022

Caption:
None

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Caption:
In Mexico, we see death in a very peculiar way, it has a lot of meanings and multiple visions, since ancestral times it has played an important role in our culture. Death is celebrated, cried and respected, but it's also confronted and caricatured. The truth is that dying has many nuances in Mexico.
Ongoing project

,..............................................

En México vemos a la muerte de una forma muy particular, tiene muchos significados y múltiples visiones, desde tiempos ancestrales ha jugado un papel importante en nuestra cultura. A la Muerte se le festeja, se le llora y se le respeta, pero también se le encara y se le caricaturiza. Lo cierto es que morir en México tiene muchos matices.
Proyecto en desarrollo.

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Juan Carlos is 47 years old; he has more than 30 years living as a “White Girl” devout and every first day of the month he goes to her altar located in Tepito, where he offers seven cigars to the Holy Death for cleaning with their smoke the images that people take to this sanctuary.

Holy Death devotion comes from a religious syncretism between prehispanic and European elements. Her first representations would be Mictlan masculine and feminine gods: Mictlantecutli and Mictacecihuatl, but people from Europe were the first to represent Death with the shape of a skeleton.

On the first day of each month, hundreds of believers arrive at the Holy Death altar in the violent neighborhood of Tepito. People go with multiple sizes and colors images to offer candles, flowers and candies and to pay promises for the received favors.

Paniecatacoyan “The place where people fly” is the 5th chapter of the transmedia project: “To die in Mexico”, that through a Mictlan (place of the dead) travel approaches different ways of seeing and coexisting with death in one of the most violent countries in the planet.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1987h x 3000w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Alan is a Holy Death devout. He asked her for a favor and – as she is helping him – he arrives every month on his knees to her altar. It is common to watch people getting on their knees before arriving to the altar and making this journey with her image.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1992h x 3000w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. Holy Death Believers touch the scythe of an image in one of the improvised altars devouts place around Alfareria street. Every first day of the month, people who visit Holy Death altar leave candies, cigars, incense or even spill mezcal to others altars and images.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1945h x 3000w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Fernando receives the support of his wife and daughter to finish his journey. He visits the first day of every month the Holy Death Altar with his family: “It was because of my daughters, because they were getting sick very often and I asked her to help me move forward and I promised her to come on my knees every month to thank her.”

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1982h x 3000w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO
Background photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Doña Enriqueta Romero “Doña Queta” at the Holy Death Altar she opened 21 years ago at her house in Tepito.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. Every first day of each month, the Altar receives hundreds of people who arrive for offering candles. At 5 PM Doña Queta prays the rosary with all the devouts.

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COMPOSED VIDEO:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Estrella is paying a vow to thank the Holy Death for helping her daughter come out of jail. For her, her Saint means a lot, she has been devout for more than 15 years and she visits her altar every month because she has accomplished several miracles for her.

Video: Pablo Ramos

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Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022.
Fernando has been a Holy Death devout for more than six years. In 2022 he made a vow for her daughters and he promised to go to her altar every month for a whole year

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1986w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2021. Holy Death devouts go to her altar in Tepito neighborhood, which main celebration is on November 1st.

Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. Holy Death is also called with love as the “White Girl” by all of her believers.

Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. A devout carries the Holy Death image during the rosary in honor of her anniversary.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1956w

Caption:
None

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COMPOSED VIDEO:
Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. For Ricardo, the Holy Death means health, work and faith. He is a believer since he was eight years old because he was part of a gang and even though he went through a lot she was always there for him.
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Even Ricardo knows the White Girl is very miraculous, he has never asked her a favor because he respects her a lot.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

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Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Alejandro became a Holy Death devout when he was six years old, following his father’s example.
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. “I have asked her a lot of things and she has given them to me; as she has accomplished everything, I have also promised her things and I need to stay true to that promises”, explains Alejandro.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Guillermo lives in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, he is a Holy Death devout and every day he wakes up he thanks her.
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Guillermo describes the White Girl as an angel who takes care of him: She solves all of your problems, but you need to behave well, because if you don’t everything goes wrong.” That’s why he goes every month to her altar located in Tepito.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Holy Death believers purify one of her images at her altar.

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1992h x 3000w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Juan Carlos goes every first day of each month to the Holy Death altar with the mission of purifying with cigar smoke all the images that devouts bring to Tepito.
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Juan Carlos keeps his promise: “I have never failed my dear Saint, except for that time when I got sick because of Covid”
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography and Video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Women are an important part of Holy Death devout community. They arrive at her altar to show her their respect and faith.
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Even on the first day of the year, believers arrive at the altar located in Tepito to offer respect to their Saint.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography and Video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. At the Goly Death Altar it is common to see young people offering cigars, tobacco cigarettes or weed joints in honor of their Saint. Their mission is to clean and purify with the smoke every image of the White Girl that passes in front of them.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1980h x 3000w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. A group of children purifies images around them, some of them with mezcal and others with vapers. People give them candies in exchange.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1949w

Caption:

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022.
Juan Carlos arrives every month at the altar located in Tepito, where he lights on and smokes seven tobacco cigars dedicated to the Holy Death. He calls himself a “purifying person”, who channels negative energy. He purifies every image that passes in front of him, cigar after cigar. After cleaning one of the images, he took the devout’s hands and told her “everything is going to be alright”; the woman cried while he insisted and asked her to believe in their Saint.

Video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Hundreds of young people arrive every first day of the month at the Holy Death altar to offer candles, flowers and candies to their saint.
Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2021. Even though people try to go every month to visit their Saint, her main celebration happens on November 1^st, the same day as the Day of the Dead celebration.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
None

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. A woman stops a young man who arrives at the altar to take his image and reverence her with respect.

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1978w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2021. Adela Santos is 45 years old. She has been a Holy Death believer for several years because she has helped her a lot. For her, the death figure is everything, and she has no fear because her Saint is very kind.

Video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022.
Juan Carlos, working as a purifying person.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. To smoke with different herbs, woods and resins have been used since prehispanic times for cleaning energies. Juan Carlos does this as a gratitude action to her Saint.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. People purifying images at the White Girl Altar in Tepito.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1949h x 3000w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Hundreds of candles are seen at the altar of the Holy Death. Devouts arrive with candles and flowers and people in charge of the altar rotate them so there is always space for the new ones.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. On the first days of each month, nobody can stay at the altar, but only leave their candle and continue their road. If devouts want to stay longer, they need to visit the place another day.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:
Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Copal resin has been used since prehispanic times for cleaning energies and for all kind of sacred rituals.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Every month, hundreds of people arrive at the Holy Death altar in Tepito to offer candles and flowers, but the first day of the year is special because several devouts ask the White Girl to help them in the year that begins.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
COMPOSED VIDEO:

Photo:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Holy Death believers gathered in Tepito.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Video:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2021. Holy Death is commonly related to criminals and policemen. The truth is, even though this faith was born in the poorest and more abandoned sectors of society, she is venerated in different areas: there are politicians and businessmen also believers in the White Girl.

Photography and video: Pablo Ramos

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. The White Girl devouts gather at her altar in Tepito.

Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1962h x 3000w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. People get together at the Holy Death altar. They say that for having a miracle, you need to have three images: one you bought, one someone gave you and a third one you have stolen. If you have that triad, everything you ask for will be conceded.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1955w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. A devout carries a White Girl image. Believers think that if they ask something from the Holy Death and fail, they can have terrible consequences, and that to promise her something without accomplishing it will bring her revenge. That’s why devouts fulfill every promise and visit her on the first day of each month.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 3000h x 1964w

Caption:
None

Size: h x w

Caption:
Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Holy Death’s devouts at Tepito. Relation between Mexican people and death relates to devotion and the White Girl has hundreds of altars and thousands of believers around the country. There are no exact numbers or statistics about this faith because it is not considered an official religion in Mexico.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Size: 1985h x 3000w

Story Text
In Mexico, we see death in a very peculiar way, it has a lot of meanings and multiple visions, since ancestral times it has played an important role in our culture. Death is celebrated, cried and respected, but it's also confronted and caricatured. The truth is that dying has many nuances in Mexico.
Ongoing project

,..............................................

En México vemos a la muerte de una forma muy particular, tiene muchos significados y múltiples visiones, desde tiempos ancestrales ha jugado un papel importante en nuestra cultura. A la Muerte se le festeja, se le llora y se le respeta, pero también se le encara y se le caricaturiza. Lo cierto es que morir en México tiene muchos matices.
Proyecto en desarrollo.

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La Muerte en México

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Includes 15 images 15 images

Credit: Pablo Ramos via Visura
Asset ID: VA87992
Caption: Available
Copyright: © Pablo Ramos, 2024
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Location: CDMX
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Pablo Ramos

@ Taller TAV www.tortugasalviento.com Based in CDMX, Mexico

PABLO RAMOS, CINEMATOGRAPHER AND DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER. THROUGH FILMMAKING, HE IS INTERESTED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE AND PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR BUILDING A BETTER WORLD. He made the Journalism Degree at The journalism school Carlos Septien Garcia...

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Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Juan Carlos is 47 years old; he has more than 30 years living as a “White Girl” devout and every first day of the month he goes to her altar located in Tepito, where he offers seven cigars to the Holy Death for cleaning with their smoke the images that people take to this sanctuary.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Alan is a Holy Death devout. He asked her for a favor and – as she is helping him – he arrives every month on his knees to her altar. It is common to watch people getting on their knees before arriving to the altar and making this journey with her image.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. Holy Death Believers touch the scythe of an image in one of the improvised altars devouts place around Alfareria street. Every first day of the month, people who visit Holy Death altar leave candies, cigars, incense or even spill mezcal to others altars and images.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Fernando receives the support of his wife and daughter to finish his journey. He visits the first day of every month the Holy Death Altar with his family: “It was because of my daughters, because they were getting sick very often and I asked her to help me move forward and I promised her to come on my knees every month to thank her.”

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022.
Fernando has been a Holy Death devout for more than six years. In 2022 he made a vow for her daughters and he promised to go to her altar every month for a whole year

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. A devout carries the Holy Death image during the rosary in honor of her anniversary.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. Holy Death believers purify one of her images at her altar.

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. At the Goly Death Altar it is common to see young people offering cigars, tobacco cigarettes or weed joints in honor of their Saint. Their mission is to clean and purify with the smoke every image of the White Girl that passes in front of them.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. A group of children purifies images around them, some of them with mezcal and others with vapers. People give them candies in exchange.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. A woman stops a young man who arrives at the altar to take his image and reverence her with respect.

Film negative scratching / Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. People purifying images at the White Girl Altar in Tepito.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. The White Girl devouts gather at her altar in Tepito.

Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. December 1, 2022. People get together at the Holy Death altar. They say that for having a miracle, you need to have three images: one you bought, one someone gave you and a third one you have stolen. If you have that triad, everything you ask for will be conceded.
Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. November 1, 2022. A devout carries a White Girl image. Believers think that if they ask something from the Holy Death and fail, they can have terrible consequences, and that to promise her something without accomplishing it will bring her revenge. That’s why devouts fulfill every promise and visit her on the first day of each month.

Film negative scratching / Kodak Tri-X Film 400 35mm / Developed with HC110

Photography: Pablo Ramos

Mexico City, Mexico. Holy Death Altar, located in Alfareria 12, Tepito. January 1, 2023. Holy Death’s devouts at Tepito. Relation between Mexican people and death relates to devotion and the White Girl has hundreds of altars and thousands of believers around the country. There are no exact numbers or statistics about this faith because it is not considered an official religion in Mexico.

Fomapan Film 400 35mm / Developed with hand-made Mexican Marigold Flower chemical.

Photography: Pablo Ramos