Sugar hens, each one ready to be placed on an ofrenda (altar) to a deceased relative or friend, or to give to a special person as a token of friendship on the Day and Night of the Dead in November.
There's always a new wrinkle in hand-made sugar mementos made for each November's Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). All of these photos are regional specialty items made in and around Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. The sugar bottles (left to right) are Cazadores tequila, Bacardí rum, and Pedro Domecq brandy. The nearly life-size bottles are decorated with icing, down to the last detail of the labels.
She's stirring sugar, which is melting in the cazo (copper pot). The molds (in her hand and on the floor) are made of clay. Making sugar figures in Michoacán for Noche de Muertos is a seasonal project realized by the family of Santa Fe de la Laguna alfarero (clay artist) Nicolás Fabián. Photo courtesy Nicolás Fabián.
Today's sugar skulls, angels, and other sugar figures were, in bygone years, made of wood and clay. Because wood and clay were so expensive and difficult to work with, artisans searched for materials that not only cost less but were easier to handle. Sugar and some simple stabilizing ingredients proved to be ideal. The sugar mixture is pressed into clay molds and allowed to dry before being unmolded and decorated.
Sugar skulls mounted in a special Día de Muertos display.
A large sugar skull, two angels (approximately 6" tall), and a pink-spotted pig wait side by side on an artisan's shelf for this year's customers.
Once the sugar figures are formed and allowed to harden in molds, they are hand-decorated with stiff confectioner's icing. The artisan uses a small plastic bag to hold the icing, squeezing tiny lines of decor onto the figures from a hole cut in the corner of the bag.
These life-size fruits are made entirely of sugar.
Artisans report that the preparation and organization for sugar figure sales during the Día de Muertos festivities begins in January, nearly an entire year before the holiday. Due to the scarcity of molds for the sugar and the need to allow the sugar to dry to the necessary hardened consistency for decorating, making the figures is the work of many months.
These figures represent the Purépecha indigenous population of the Lake Pátzcuaro region. The woman wears her typical skirt, blouse, and rebozo (a type of shawl) and holds a plate of lake white fish, a regional culinary specialty in years gone by. The man beside her wears a large sombrero and some very fanciful clothing.
Sweets to the sweet: "For My Sweetheart".
Sugar fish!
Rest in peace. These are funeral wreaths, made of colorful sugar.
The most traditional sugar skulls have a friend or relative's name across the forehead. Some of these, just a bit over an inch high, have the name on a gold-colored tape above the eyes. When you're ready to make a purchase, if you don't see a skull with the name you want, ask the artisan to write it on the skull with sugar icing–no extra charge!
Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
Leave a Reply