Mayans clean the bones of their loved ones to honor the dead

Record ID: 1694523

  • Title: Mayans clean the bones of their loved ones to honor the dead
  • Date: 25th October 2022
  • Summary: TUZ CHI REMOVING URN VARIOUS OF TUZ CHI CLEANING THE BONES OF HIS RELATIVE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNDERTAKER, VENANCIO TUZ CHI, SAYING: “For us, it is like a day of celebration for them (the dead). What would for you be a birthday. We dress up for that day and wait for the (deceased) family members that will visit.” VARIOUS OF TUZ CHI CLEANING BONES (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNDERTAKER, VENANCIO TUZ CHI, SAYING: “This tradition comes from the ancient Mayans. They left this practice for our great-grandfathers and our grandfathers, and it is still present. Us, as fathers and sons, keep on taking care of this tradition so it won’t be forgotten.” TUZ CHI CLEANING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNDERTAKER, VENANCIO TUZ CHI, SAYING: “This is a house of respect. With this service I’m giving them (the deceased), I ask them to take care of me, to protect me because I take care of them by making sure their families are well.” VARIOUS OF TUZ CHI CLEANING BONES TUZ CHI STANDING IN FRONT OF URNS
  • Embargoed: 8th November 2022 16:36
  • Keywords: Maya Mexico Pomuch bones cleaning day of the dead tradition
  • Location: POMUCH, CAMPECHE, MEXICO
  • City: POMUCH, CAMPECHE, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,South America / Central America
  • Reuters ID: LVA003466925102022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Every year, Mayans from the town of Pomuch in southern Mexico clean the bones of their deceased relatives in a ritual to honor the dead.
    In this tradition dating back centuries, families in Pomuch exhume their dead after three years in the grave and transfer their dried bones and skulls - sometimes with hair attached - to wooden crates on permanent display in open funeral niches.
    At the local cemetery, undertaker Venancio Tuz Chi carefully took the bones of his father and other relatives from the wooden crates they were in and cleaned them using a brush.
    Tuz Chi told Reuters this tradition was inherited from the ancient Mayans. He said he wants to keep the ritual alive so it will not be forgotten by newer generations.
    Besides cleaning the remains of his own relatives, other people from Tuz Chi’s community hire him to clean bones of their ancestors as well.
    Tuz Chi said that in his community, Day of the Dead is a celebration for the ancestors, comparing it to a birthday. He explained the living get dressed for the occasion and wait for their deceased relatives to visit them.
    According to Mayan beliefs, death is a stage in life in which the deceased evolve into higher, more spiritual beings.
    According to village folklore, the spirit of a Pomuch native can become angry and wonder lost through the streets if proper care is not taken of his or her remains.
    (Production: Lorenzo Hernandez, Manuel Carrillo, Nina Lopez)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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