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Dia De Muertos
This guide serves as a starting point to help you find information, resources, and support on the Dia De Los Muertos ofrenda creation event.
Information from the Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture.
Day of the Dead in the USA by Regina M. Marchi
Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2009
Honoring relatives by tending graves, building altars, and cooking festive meals has been an honored tradition among Latin Americans for centuries. The tribute, "el Dia de los Muertos," has enjoyed renewed popularity since the 1970s when Latino activists and artists in the United States began expanding "Day of the Dead" north of the border with celebrations of performance art, Aztec danza, art exhibits, and other public expressions. Focusing on the power of ritual to serve as a communication medium, Regina M. Marchi combines a mix of ethnography, historical research, oral history, and critical cultural analysis to explore the manifold and unexpected transformations that occur when the tradition is embraced by the mainstream. A testament to the complex nature of ethnic identity, Day of the Dead in the USA provides insight into the power of ritual to create community, transmit oppositional messages, and advance educational, political, and economic goals.
On October 31, families clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones at the Oaxaca City cemetery. There is an altar competition and lit candles are placed in 2,440 niche graves. Souls of dead children are also honored.
Oaxaca holds one of Mexico's best-known festivals every October. It combines indigenous death rituals with the Christian Feast of All Souls. Oaxaca City sponsors all night processions, altar exhibits, and sand tapestries made by local art students.
Oaxaca lies in southern Mexico and is home to descendants of Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. Día de los Muertos honors deceased relatives through the offering of food on altars.
Day of the Dead in the USA by