Description (Physical description)
Funeral procession, comprising paper figures with chickpea heads. Used as part of the celebrations for the Day of the Dead.
Event Date
Author: maa

Context (Field collection)
Collected by Professor Frederick Starr in 1898.
Event Date 1898
Author: Lucie Carreau

Context (Amendments / updates)
The Frederick Starr Collection of Mexican Folklore was never catalogued when it came to the museum. Cataloguing was done in 1984 when, by error, some of the items were entered in the 1984 book instead of the Z book. To try to correct this in the simplest way possible, all these numbers were grouped under a single Z number, in addition to the number already given. The remainder of the collection was then given individual Z numbers in the normal way. The collection was examined in 1984 by Dr Charlene Cerny (Director of the Museum of National Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico) and her colleague, Valentin Jacques, both experts on Mexican folk art. Her notes on the collection, together with a xerox of the original catalogue, which has full details on the uses of the various items, is on file. The collection is unusual in being well documented and of such an early date, and is a rare one outside Mexico. Not all the items listed in the original catalogue were found at the time of cataloguing.
Event Date 1984
Author: Lucie Carreau

Context (Display)
Exhibited: M.Phil student exhibition, 'The Tapper, the Calendar and the Malangan: Emblems of Time Experienced', MAA, Maudslay Hall (Lent term 1999 - Lent term 2002).
Event Date 1999
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Model funeral procession, eight figures made with paper bodies and chickpea heads. Several have red, black or gold heart shapes on the front of their costumes. Two at the front holding sticks, one broken, one reading a book. Cross detached but present. Used as part of the celebrations for the Day of the Dead.
Event Date 23/6/2021
Author: Louise Puckett

Exhibition (Spotlight Gallery)
EXH.2022.11 | Spotlight on Stores Move
Event Date 25/7/2022
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Display)
Displayed as part of the Spotlight on Stores Move exhibition. Caption provided by Louise Puckett: 'Death-defying chickpeas. These little guys’ heads are made of chickpeas! Collected in Mexico 124 years ago, this model funerary procession was part of the Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations. Since working with this model, I now always see chickpeas as they should be, dressed in their robes.'
Event Date 4/2023
Author: Katrina Dring