More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death.
It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate.
Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend, according to Mary J. Adrade, who has written three books on the ritual.
The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth.
The skulls were used to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the monthlong ritual.
If you suspect that someone is having a stroke act FAST
With over 150,000 people in the UK having a stroke every year, it is imperative that people can recognise a stroke when it's happening and take prompt action.
FAST requires an assessment of three specific symptoms of stroke:
Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Melanie joined the team of London art college course artists about 10 years ago and has written and tutored a variety of courses including the young artists courses and the coloured pencil course. Due to the success of her own business and her artwork, she now concentrates on the Pet Portrait course and the Young Artist courses she has written and illustrated, to which she devotes a lot of time guiding her students in the right direction.
The majority of her portrait commissions come from America and she enjoys creating portraits in a variety of mediums. She uses Graphite Pencil, Coloured Pencil, Pastel and Acrylic however she is best known for her Oil paintings on canvas.
Her website is -
