A Bolivian artist carves faces of the departed onto Day of the Dead bread

During nan Day of nan Dead celebrations that return spot successful precocious October and early November, Latin Americans grant their departed loved ones by mounting up altars adorned pinch food, flowers and photographs

EL ALTO, Bolivia -- During nan Day of nan Dead celebrations that return spot successful precocious October and early November, Latin Americans grant their departed loved ones by mounting up altars adorned pinch food, flowers and photographs. But what astir carving nan existent look of your deceased spouse aliases family personnel connected a plaster to decorate a portion of bread?

That is precisely what 1 creator successful Bolivia is doing.

As portion of a centuries-old contented to grant their dormant connected Nov. 2, Bolivians stock a saccharine breadstuff called “tantawawa" (Aymara for “baby bread”) successful a symbolic measurement to link nan surviving pinch nan dead.

Traditionally, nan “tantawawa” are dressed up pinch generic, plastered faces, but Bolivian creator William Luna thought it would beryllium moreover much symbolic if he could carve retired a characteristic that resembles nan loved ones that group are remembering.

Inspired by nan nonaccomplishment of his mother, Luna began sculpting her look onto a “tantawawa” for nan first day of her decease successful 2017. He past introduced this thought to section markets, and now receives requests from families eager to grant their loved ones successful this unsocial way.

“Families inquire for nan masks to lucifer their deceased loved ones arsenic intimately arsenic possible,” Luna explains. “I attraction connected each person’s unique features, arsenic we each person thing typical that sets america apart.”

Luna meticulously crafts each mask, starting pinch a photograph of nan departed individual. He past shapes clay utilizing his fingers and modeling devices to seizure nan person’s likeness. Once satisfied pinch nan clay model, he creates a integrative mold and fills it pinch plaster. The last measurement involves coating nan mask, sometimes pinch nan thief of nan family.

The full process takes astir a week.

Milton Eyzaguirre, an anthropologist from nan National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore successful La Paz, said that there’s not an nonstop grounds of nan root of nan “tantawawa”, only that they are pre-Hispanic. Historically, nan breadstuff was made pinch quinoa flour, but now wheat is commonly used.

“Our contented holds that souls return quiet and thirsty, and that is why families person nutrient waiting for them,” he said.

Luna, nan artist, says that his thought is to springiness group a measurement to spot their deceased loved ones again.

“Even if it's only successful this way,” he said, gazing astatine immoderate of nan plastered faces.

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