This article is from the June 2000 The Mexico
File newsletter.
Back to Articles List
Muertitos
by Bruce McGovern
A traditional sweet bread
for Day of the Dead is called muertitos, Little Dead People. It's made of
To me, they look like a
couple of triangles joined together.
November 1st, in
the little village where my wife was born, in the State of Puebla, we were
visiting Tia Otilia, and she asked one of the boys to drive us to the center of
town for fresh, hot muertitos.
A block away from the
Catholic church is a traditional bakery. The brick and stone oven is about ten
feet deep, with an arched roof. The baker builds a fire in the oven. While it
heats, he prepares his dough, and puts it on a long board. When the oven is hot,
he sweep out the fire and shoves in the dough‑laden boards. After they are
baked, he pulls out the boards and sets them to cool.
Women were carrying away
baskets of those hot muertitos!
Later, Tia made chamomile
tea and offered us fresh muertitos. Margarita explained I don't eat sugar, then
she turned over a muertito, peeled off the bottom, sugar‑free half, gave
it to me, and ate the sugar part.
Tia and Tio both took a
muertito, carefully peeled off the bottom, gave it to me, and ate the sugar
part.
And, people ask why I love
the Mexican people!