Written by: Kristine Liljenquist, Suzanne Rutkowski, and Rebecca KohlerAdditional Material by: Janice Strauss, Stephanie Call, and Chad Seals

El Día de los Muertos

• November 1 -

honor the children

• November 2 -

honor the adults

Two-Day Celebration

The Aztecs

• The Aztecs believed: -Death awakens the dreaming -Death is not frightening -Death is a continuation of life

• Practice of honoring the dead is over 3,000 years old

Aztec Calendar

The Spanish

• Hernán Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519.

• Combined holidays

When Cultures Connect

• El Día de los Muertos: Aztec and Christian beliefs about the afterlife

combined

November 1st

• Remember infants and children• Los angelitos

November 2nd

• Dedicated to remembering adults

• Celebration with little ones

Preparation

• Two weeks before

• Trips to el mercado

• Gather special possessions

Mercado Delights

Food for the Dead

• Bread• Drinks• Fruit• Favorite dishes

El pan de muerto

• Decorated bread

• Shaped into figures

• May contain a toy!

Flowers to Honor the Dead

Las flores

• Decoration

• Create a pathway

Las calaveras

• Candy skulls

• Angelitos

• Gift exchange

Las calacas

• Skeleton represents dead playfully mimicking living

• Calacas generally depicted as joyous

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Altar Decorations

• Sugar cane arch

• Variety of foods

• Favorite items

Papel picado

The copal Bowl

The Finished Altar

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La comida

• Great feasts prepared • Traditional family dishes shared in homes and graveside

A comprar• Ingredients for the meals

Roasted chapulines

Dessert

The Cemetery Meal

The Procession

• Meal prepared and the altar completed • Family journeys to cemetery • Pass parades and processions

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Costumes and Parties

School Parade

Brass Band

Calling Souls Home

Street of Remembrance

A Colorful Display for All

All Are Equal in Death

Tapete de arena

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The Cemetery

• Families arrive at the cemetery. • Celebrate with music and food

When I dieI will be withyou…

So that weWill keep onlovingeach other.

Cemetery Celebration

Rural Cemetery

Wall of Candlelight

A Holiday for All Ages

Light it Again!

Al final…

• El Día de los Muertos is not Halloween

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To the residents of New York, Paris, or London, the word DEATH is never pronounced because it burns the lips.

Mexicans, on the other hand, frequent it, caress it, they sleep with it, they celebrate it, it is one of their favorite games and their most permanent love.

~ Octavio Paz

Produced by:Christina Groleau, Rebecca Kohler, Alicia Sossi

Written by:Suzanne Rutkowski, Rebecca Kohler, Nora King,

Kristine Liljenquist, Skip McWilliams

Additional Material:Chad Seals, Janet Strauss, Stephanie Call

Sources:Day of the Dead in Mexico

Through the Eyes of the SoulMary J. Andrade

La Oferta Review Newspaper, Inc. ©1996 and ©2001

Felicidades!Mexican Family Celebrations

Inside Mexico ©1993

Day of the Dead in Mexico, OaxacaMary J. Andrade

La Oferta Review Newspaper, Inc. ©1996

Piñatas & Smiling SkeletonsCelebrating Mexican Festivals

Zoe Harris and Suzanne WilliamsPacific View Press, ©1998

The Vigil of the Little AngelsMary J. Andrade

La Oferta Review Newspaper, Inc. ©2001

El Dia de los Muertos Teacher’s Discovery ©2005

Graphic Design:Joseph A. Kohler, Juli Phillips

Animation SupervisorJoseph A. Kohler

Other exciting classroom Day of the Dead products

available at www.teachersdiscovery.com