Mexican Woman Braces for Día de los Muertos Visit From Dead Abuela
Household on edge for visit of Grandma Dolores from afterlife
MORELIA — Imelda Ahuehuete, a 34-year-old woman from Michoacán, says that while she’s excited for this weekend’s Día de los Muertos celebration and the prospect of being visited by the spirits of dead loved ones, she’s dreading the return of her least favorite abuela Dolores from beyond the grave.
Ahuehuete says her abuela Dolores was “pretty much an asshole” when alive and that no one in the family is too excited to see her ghost when it passes through the altar at midnight on November 1. As part of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos tradition, people make altars that include photos and offerings such as candy, alcohol and flowers to invite the dead to come back and visit the living for 24 hours.
“Every year when we put her picture up on the altar I’m just like ‘fuuuuuhhhkkkk’,” said Ahuehuete. “I didn’t want to spend 24 hours with her when she was alive and it doesn't seem like she’s changed much since she transcended into the afterlife.”
Ahuehuete says abuela Dolores was a heavy tequila drinker and when intoxicated called her granddaughter “la gordita” and “la flojita” and made fun of her weight, appearance and the fact that she wasn’t married by age 19. After abuela Dolores passed away in 2019, Ahuehuete was hopeful her grandma’s spirit would return on Día de los Muertos as more gentle and kind, but has so far been disappointed.
“She’s the same pendeja she’s always been,” Ahuehuete said. “The first hour or two she’s fine but once her ghost gets drunk, she’s starts criticizing my tattoos and my complexion and I find myself counting the minutes until she’s dead again.”