20051102 - Vicente Acosta (left) and Francisco Eugenio bake pan de
muerto together Wednesday afternoon at La Mordida bakery on N. Armenia
Ave. Pan de muerto is a special bread baked for the Mexican holiday
The Day of the Dead, celebrated on Nov. 1-2 in memory of deceased
ancestors. The small pieces of dough on the top of the bread represent
the bones of a skeleton. The celebration, whose roots are attributed
to several cultures including the Aztecs, is held both to honor the
dead and show that those living are not afraid of them. Many families
prepare alters in their homes with several special items, religious
symbols and photographs of their dead ancestors. La Mordida bakery was
preparing the bread with several special ingredients including a flour
called zempasuchitl and a seed called anis en grano. They planned to
make 1,600 loaves today after making 3,600 over the weekend. (Brian
Cassella / St. Petersburg Times)
