In the times we live where the fear of death becomes real, we are faced with the uncertainty of finding ourselves ill and losing loved ones suddenly. We face the sadness of receiving an urn of ashes and of not having practiced a funeral, a ceremony, a farewell; there remains the impotence of not having done anything and of not understanding what we have been through.
Death and funeral practices in Pre-Hispanic Mexico
The explanation of the beginning and the end of life is a constant search in all societies throughout history. In the Mesoamerican area, where important civilizations developed before the Spanish conquest, the vision of human life was organically linked to nature and the cosmos. The people of that time, from about a thousand years before our era, thought that death was something incomprehensible. They understood that there were superior forces of nature that determine the cycle of life and they were highly respected.
The funeral banquet
The Shiva tradition, which takes place the next seven days after the funeral, is a long family gathering where the members spend time sitting in an attitude of contemplation on death, during that time abundant food is served. The family is visited by close friends and relatives who contribute additional dishes. They are served as buffets and eating is a great consolation in mourning, according to Jewish custom.
