Two beauties in one day, about 30m from each other – there seemed nothing to connect them except both being so fresh and both down close to the tideline on a long stretch of beach.  The people placing them there must have been present at the same time.

I have collaged them to give a sense of approaching from a distance and then seeing detail up close.  There were quite a number of  bronze 2 and 5 peso coins on the top of these yellow pieces.   The two white things were plates of rice wrapped in cotton wool – obligingly pulled aside by the pigeons thgat had been feasting on the grain as I approached.  I never touch these offrendas as they are called.

The sales of blue candles in this country must be huge.  This offrenda about 30m from the one above was like no other I’d ever seen, in that a root ripped out of the earth somewhere was placed centre front (ie closest to the water, and that hole in the sand where a candle burned)  There was an amount of dirt, too, that I have never seen before.  It was all carefully  laid out on a piece of white fabric.  The vines and flowers were plastic, and no sign of the flowers or leaves that had been removed from the three large stems placed on the sand (pointing to the water?)   With everything weighted down by the dirt, and currently low ‘high’ tides, the site weathered very slowly and remnants of it lasted on the beach for over 10 days.

Finally, I love the very low key simplicity of this one – a round base/paper plate, with some cotton wool showing upper right side, some cooked grain, rice plus corn kernels, and several fresh meringues placed on top.  That’s all folks !