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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Mexican Folk Art and the Day of the Dead

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HOLIDAY

  • Celebrated on November 1st
  • Celebrated throughout Latin America
  • Tradition originated in Mexico

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HISTORY

  • Honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations

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CELEBRATION

  • Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life.
  • On Dia de los Muertos, the dead are also a part of the community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with their loved ones.

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CALACAS AND CALAVERAS

  • The most familiar symbol of Dia de los Muertos may be the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls), which appear everywhere during the holiday: in candied sweets, as parade masks, as dolls.
  • Calacas and calaveras are almost always portrayed as enjoying life, often in fancy clothes and entertaining situations.

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“Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Almeda Park” -Diego Rivera

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Sugar Skull Examples

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Our Project: Create a “sugar skeleton” of our own combining pattern and traditional Mexican Folk art designs