In Mexico, the tradition of literary skulls, as we know them now, emerged, like that of the catrinas, at the end of the 19th century, as a critical expression of the people against the Porfirista elite. Skulls are a type of poem that functions as a kind of comic epitaph.
Literary skulls usually mock people as if they were already dead or as if Death was already coming for them and are usually written on the eve of the Day of the Dead. Various sources mention Fray Joaquín Bolaños as the author of the oldest skull in Mexico, “The Portentous Life of Death”, being the first and representative.
The custom has its origins in colonial times and is linked to certain expressions of Iberian religiosity from the early Middle Ages, such as Macabre dance either Dance of Death. It was enriched in New Spain with pre-Hispanic elements, such as the cult of Mictlantecuhtli (god of Death), the tzompantlis (trunks of sacrificed skulls and possible origin of the candy skulls) and pre-Cortesian poetry.
Although they were repressed from their beginnings, that did not prevent them from flourishing in independent Mexico and becoming popular among the population.
The Mexican tradition of literary skulls
The composition of literary skulls requires, without a doubt, creativity and observation of some trait or quality of the subject or person to be ridiculed. Right away, It is related to a funeral situation, the language is played with until the rhyme is found, the drafts are corrected and the final version is written.
Currently, the legacy of the literary skull has had to face the passage of time. Although contemporary Mexican caricaturists have on several occasions recovered the rich tradition of lyrical satire accompanied by an illustration of characters in the bare bones, the tradition today does not have the role it had at the time.
However, We must recognize the effort that exists from student organizations and the cultural and social sphere, to involve the public through calls in this search to preserve the legacy of this very important literary satire.
How to write a literary skull?
If you want to write your own literature and dedicate it to a friend or family member during the holiday season Day of the Dead , here we tell you how. Although there are no strict rules on how to write them, the following recommendations may help you.
1. Conceptualize what a skull is
The literary skulls they must have a anecdote with beginning, development and outcome. A skull is written in stanzas of 4 four lines. The anecdote involves death as a character and interacts with the person we are writing about.
2. Make a list of synonyms
have within reach synonyms and words related to death, such as catrina, grim reaper, skinny, tilica, bones, pantheon, flowers, among others, facilitates the creation of skulls. The more synonyms and semantic fields you have at hand, the easier you will write.
3. Identify the character
Recognize the character to be honored and list elements that characterize It is another resource to develop literary skull. We have to think about what usually makes or distinguishes our character; where he usually is, what sets him apart from other people. Also his physical or psychological characteristics.
4. Set on Day of the Dead
Another step to create a literary skull is to think about a allusive situation to the Day of the Dead or to death. You should think of an anecdote where the main character is linked to death. Ideally, this anecdote should be funny to the reader: how interact with that person; what would happen if she met death.
5. Lose the fear of writing
Other recommendations that the teacher provided were lose the fear of writingdo use of colloquial language and double check the writing. We believe that inspiration is needed, that the text comes out in one go and that the first version is perfect, but no. Write In any context it is always rewrite, you have to give yourself the freedom to write.
6. Take care of the rhyme
Make sure that the rhyming verses and have the same extension It is another practical tool for the development of literary skulls. It is necessary to verify that there is the same rhyme pattern; That helps the rhythm we want in lyrical texts. This is achieved with a stable pattern. It can be ABBA, ABAB or AABB.
This means that the 1st verse has to rhyme with the 4th, and the 2nd with the 3rd, or that the 1st rhymes with the 3rd and the 2nd with the 4th. It is worth varying.