EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — During Day of the Dead celebrations in late October and early November, Latin Americans honor their deceased loved ones by setting up altars adorned with food, flowers and photographs. But how about carving the actual face of your deceased spouse or family member onto a plaster cast to decorate a piece of bread?
This is exactly what a Bolivian artist is doing.
As part of a centuries-old tradition to honor their dead on November 2, Bolivians share a sweet bread called “tantawawa” (Aymara for “baby bread”) in a symbolic way to connect the living with the dead.
Traditionally, “tantawawa” are decorated with generic plastered faces, but Bolivian artist William Luna thought it would be even more symbolic if he could carve a feature that resembled the loved ones people remember.
Inspired by the loss of his mother, Luna began carving her face on a “tantawawa” for the first anniversary of her death in 2017. He then took the idea to local markets and now receives requests from families wanting to honor their loved ones in 2017. in this unique way.
“Families ask that the masks resemble their deceased loved ones as closely as possible,” Luna explains. “I focus on each person’s particularities, because we all have something special that sets us apart. »
Luna meticulously makes each mask, starting with a photo of the person who died. He then shapes the clay using his fingers and modeling tools to capture the image of the person. Once satisfied with the clay model, he creates a plastic mold and fills it with plaster. The final step is painting the mask, sometimes with the help of family.
The whole process takes about a week.
Milton Eyzaguirre, an anthropologist from the National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore in La Paz, said that there is no exact trace of the origin of the “tantawawa”, only that they are pre-Hispanic. Historically, bread was made with quinoa flour, but today wheat is commonly used.
“Our tradition is that souls come back hungry and thirsty, and that’s why families have food waiting for them,” he said.
Luna, the artist, says her idea is to give people a way to see their deceased loved ones again.
“Even if it’s only this way,” he said, looking at some of the plastered faces.
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