and a well deserved recognition to Mr. Celso A. Lara Figueroa…
This article is an interpretation written in english of a fragment of Celso Lara’s book titled “Fieles difuntos, santos y ánimas benditas en Guatemala. Una evocación ancestral” which roughly translates to:
Faithful departed, saints, and holy souls of Guatemala. An ancestral evocation.
The Día de los Santos y de Todos los Difuntos celebrations are profound, remote, colorful, and full of meaning since the times of Ixmucané and Ah Puch, Lord of Death in the days of old (Lara, 2003).
Mayas have infinite respect for the souls of the dead, as they believe they are their ancestors and on this day, they descend from their sacred realm to visit their leaving relatives left behind on earth.
Ancestral burial grounds where designated so that the deities that rule Xibalbá (the underworld) may protect and guide the ancestors while they commune with the living.