How did the Coco Day of the dead magic work before photography?
In the Pixar movie Coco, it is stated that you cannot pass to the land of living if your photo is not present at the altar.
I know that Day of the dead tradition is based on real Mexican tradition, where people put photos of their ancestors at the altar as well. But Mexicans probably doesn't believe that there is some algorithm behind that, which would enable dead people to enter the land of the living (according to Wikipedia, sometimes they put things that belonged to the deceased as well).
Of course, one would think that it could substituted by paintings. But what if it is not precise enough. (there is this funny matchmaking machine in the movie) Or the precision is not important?
So, my question is, In-universe, how did dead people cross to the land of the living before photography was invented? Were dead people able to enter the land of living at all?
Maybe the answer could be also connected with the original Mexican tradition, but I don't know it very much, so I am not sure.
Best Answer
The photo requirement is only shown as being enforced by the security guards in the land of the dead, there's no indication that you (meta)physically can't cross over without a photo, only that the guards won't let you. Prior to the 20th century, passports and photo ID were not generally required to cross borders. So it seems very likely that before photography, the dead could visit without an ID check, and that the custom of requiring ID was brought over from the land of the living to the land of the dead for some reason in the 20th century.
Pictures about "How did the Coco Day of the dead magic work before photography?"
What did they put on Ofrendas before photographs?
For deceased adults, the ofrenda might include a bottle or poured shot glasses of tequila or mezcal, while if the deceased is a child a favorite toy might be placed here.What are photographs used for in the Day of the Dead?
Rather than focusing on mourning and sadness, the Mexican culture accepts death as a natural part of life\u2014and these Day of the Dead pictures show just how beautiful that can be.What do people do for Day of the Dead in Coco?
For Day of the Dead rituals and festivities, families build private altars called ofrendas in their homes, elaborately decorated with loaves of specially baked bread (pan de muerto), sugar skulls called calaveras, bottles of their loved ones' favorite tequila, and family photos and mementos.Pixar's Coco: The Traditions, Mythology \u0026 References You Should Know!
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