Sagada Coffin Wall

Now bear with me on this. They may not be a typical tourist attraction but the hanging coffins in Sagada are a fascinating insight into the region’s culture. Found on the cliffsides of a valley nestled in the mountain province, which lies 275mk north of Manila, this traditional way of burying people (which is no longer used) is only found in a handful of places in the world. To get there requires some dedication. The journey involves a 12-hour bus ride from the capital, the last few hours through dramatic winding mountains passes and unsealed roads.

The Agony

Estrada’spainting of a dying mother is called the agony

Life and death

The ancient Mexican Indian concept of duality is seen in these life-death stutuettes.

Symbol of life

Huaxtec, mexico

Mictantecuhtli

the lord of the dead, was also the custodian (takes care of) of the bones of all past human generations.

Day of the Dead

is a mexican holiday and takes place on the 1st and 2 nd november in connection with the catholic all saints day (1st nov) and all souls day (2nd nov) The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. tradition includes building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Sorgebrev

http://galleri.thorsaker.se/#13.12

Interesting thought

The Rights of a Corpse

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/detail?vid=10&hid=125&sid=45577589-c201-424d-97e6-9d3d3ae071b1%40sessionmgr115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=25729522

Here are a few lines from the article:

“Corpses in some cultures may be married before burial or in the grave, although
it is illegal to arrest one in Maine, and in Oregon corpses are explicitly not
permitted to serve on juries (Quigley, 1996, pp. 181 – 182). In Haiti, corpses are
kissed to ensure that the spirit does not return (Quigley, 1996, p. 17), while
deceased virgin women may have ritual intercourse before burial (Shibles, 1974,
p. 400). In historical Europe, they have been tried, punished, and deliberately mutilated
(Quigley, 1996, pp. 281 – 283). Superstitions in many cultures and times,
Rights of the Corpse 225
indeed, prescribe various precautions in treating the corpse to ensure in effect that
eventual separation from the living world takes place (Quigley, 1996, pp. 16 – 19).
In some parts of Europe, if a corpse is denied ‘‘proper burial,’’ it will return to make
life unpleasant for relatives and neighbors (Verdery, 1999, pp. 40, 109).”

(Page 225-226)