Edible skulls are also commonly made out of chocolate and amaranth. These production methods continue to be used by Mexican artisans to this day, though industrial production methods are also widely used. Once dry, the figurine is assembled and decorated with brightly colored icing, and shiny colored paper is used for the eyes and forehead. The paste, made of eggs, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and plant extracts, was poured into the clay mold to make the figurine. These techniques were then used in the production of sugar skulls. In the 17th century, sculptures made out of sugar using a special paste known as alfeñique, became popular in Spain, and later spread to its colonies. Later, following colonization, convents and churches continued the tradition of producing these skulls with molds, but began utilizing sugar instead of clay. During the 1500s, these skull figurines began being produced using clay molds. In pre-Columbian times, for festivals associated with remembering the dead, many indigenous peoples would display decorated skull figurines, often made out of clay. It is probable that the Danse Macabre motifs were brought over by Spanish missionaries and later fused with Indigenous skull imagery. These paintings and engravings, often featuring dancing skeletons, were meant to represent the inevitability of death and were used as decorations in churches across Europe. Some of these, such as the Mayan Chichen Itzá Tzompantli in Yucatán, and the Aztec Huey Tzompantli in Mexico City, remain to this day and can be viewed by visitors.Īnother motif that may have influenced calavera imagery as we know it today is likely a type of European art known as Danse Macabre. These are commonly referred to by the Nahuatl term Tzompantli. For many pre-Columbian cultures, human skulls or skull motifs were used as decoration on walls as a sacrificial offering to the gods. Mictecacihuatl was often represented as a skeleton, adorned with a crown of flowers and skulls. The Aztecs had several festivals of remembrance where they would worship the Goddess Mictecacihuatl, ruler of the afterlife and keeper of the dead. Skull imagery has a long history dating back to the traditions of pre-Columbian civilizations. Calavera: Sugar Skull Skull Imagery in Mexico and its History
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