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Why Is Day Of The Dead Important In Mexico

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This article covers how traditions impacted Mexico’s holiday of Día de los Muertos. In addition, the article goes in depth as to how Day of The Dead branched off of Mesoamerica and is celebrated throughout the world. The holiday being revered in all of Mexican (area where majority of celebrations occur) culture gives insight as to what factors influenced current celebrations. One such example is how the ceremonies of the early Mesoamericans often included the pagan tradition of a celebration with cemeteries. According to Austin Robbins “Día De Los Muertos Comes Alive at Visiting Artist Lecture” article this unique blend of the two civilizations resulted in what is now modern day Mexican beliefs, morals and most essentially their development. Furthermore, the history behind modern festivities of Day of the Dead is depicted. …show more content…

It takes place from November 1st to November 2nd and is commemorated by people all around the world. Day of the Dead dates back to the early spiritual traditions of Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya and Toltec. As stated in Austin Robbin’s, “Día De Los Muertos Comes Alive at Visiting Artist Lecture” the imagery associated with Día de Los Muertos has its roots in a period of European history when death was a grand aspect of daily life. The pandemic in Europe during the Middle Ages known as the Black Death eradicated millions of people. This confrontation with death led to the representation of art depicting deceased. What is observable in current practices is the outcome of centuries worth of

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In Chapter 5 of Day in the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon, Regina Marchi discusses the political themes surrounding various Day of the Dead celebrations in America. She claims that Day of the Dead events offer opportunities for Latinos to voice their opinions about current issues, giving them a sense of cultural independence. Furthermore, Marchi argues that the practices and rituals of these Latinos living in the U.S. during the Day of the Dead holiday brings them closer together in the midst of political adversity (Marchi, 73). Throughout this chapter, Marchi talks about different Day of the Dead events that have occurred in the U.S. within the last century and how their presence has shone light

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Dia de los Muertos and Halloween can often be confused because they are celebrated within very close dates, but in reality they have distinct characteristics. Dia de los Muertos was originally introduced in Mexico with the Aztec Festival of the Dead, but the traditions have been tweaked over the years. Likewise, Halloween originated in Ireland, beginning with the Celtic Festival called “Samhain”. Now, the popular holiday, Day of the Dead, is celebrated from October 31st through November 2nd by visiting the graves of dead friends or family members. People who participate in Dia de los Muertos leave food, candles, incense, a poem, or a picture at the altar to honor the past lives of people they love.

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Aside from being depicted in Mesoamerican artwork, the concept of death in Mexico also tells the story of the imposition of Catholicism on Mesoamerican civilizations during colonial Mexico. Artwork during this time period illustrates images of death, such as a deceased nun, a masked death, devil and devil dancers, and ancient decorated skulls (Carmichael and Slayer 1992, 36). According to Stanley Brandes, scholars often have a difficult time minimizing the role of the Zapotec natives while simultaneously emphasizing on the European origins of the Day of the Dead holiday. Much of the pre-Columbian antecedents steams from the iconography of ancient civilizations living throughout Mesoamerica. This includes its huge amounts of skulls and skeletons during the modern Day of the Dead rituals as well as the variations of the meaning of the skeletal depictions as it differs from region to region.

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