Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), is celebrated in Mexico and (a bit less commonly) in Central American countries to honor the deceased. Known to be celebrated by many Mexican Americans in the United States, the day's roots stem from both Indigenous and Spanish Catholic customs.
Celebrated on November 1st and November 2nd, the way the Día de los Muertos is celebrated has changed over the years. (NMAM).
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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.
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