El Dia de Los Muetos

In many cultures around the world, people feel the very human need to honor and remember their ancestors and important events from the past. El Dia de los Muertos (aka Day of the Dead) and the Roman Catholic All Saints or All Souls Day are two of the most popular celebrations that honor the dead in Mexico. The focus of these holidays is on prayer and remembrance of friends and family who have died. Entire families participate in the typical traditions that include building private altars honoring the departed and visiting the graves of the deceased.

For Mexicans expressing these connections with those that have departed are humorous rather than morbid. Throughout Mexico, and especially in Michoacán cemeteries are fearful places but an occasion for a family gathering. Often spending the night by candlelight, extended family groups pray, reminisce, sing, and feast on delicious homemade delights, frequently enjoying many of the departed's favorite meals.

I recently spent a Halloween weekend on the Northern California coast and was privileged to attend a Dia de los Muertos celebration that took place at the Gualala Arts Center. Many beautiful and fascinating shrines were present and I spent some magical moments examining these complex and touching homages to loved ones across the great divide.

Mexican Volanco Popocatepetl Erupting

Earthweek reports that Popocatepetl, Mexico's 2nd tallest volcano @ 17,634 ft. (5426 meters), has erupted, spewing ash across neighboring villages. Popo is one of Mexico's most active volcanoes, last erupting in 1994 and having done so 15 previous times since the Spanish conquest in the 1519. It's located 45 miles (70 km) southeast of Mexico City, and 30 miles (45 km) southwest of Puebla.

View Larger Map
All of central Mexico teems with Volcanic activity, and I had an opportunity to view the effects on a recently trip to Michoacán, where I visited the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro, almost completely buried by the young Volcán de Parícutin that rose out of a Tarascan farmer's cornfield in 1943. It was eerie to hike across the craggy lava field to visit all that remains of the village, the church spires rising out of the once molten rock.
As I researched for more information about Popocatepetl I punched Mexico Volcano into Yahoo!. Not surprisingly, ads appeared on the right hand column, and how well remembered your thoughtful gift of a Mexican Volcano will be - just like VD, a "Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving".

This underscores the pitfall of blind keyword insertion (not that the search engines mind:$$$) It seems we have more and more inexperienced marketeers (mouseketeers, perhaps?) that have no grasp of using negative (exclude) keywords to forestall gaffes such as these. Even the National Geographic Ad, which did lead to an article on volcanoes, did not deliver on most of the ad's promise: the article provided a few facts and one photo, but no volcano "news, wallpapers, videos and safety tips" were to be found.