JKM Library: The Day of the Dead Celebration: Home

La Santa Cecilia - Calaverita

Photos From Our 2018 Event!

2019

2018

Books in the JKM Collection

Day of the Dead Folk Art by Kitty Williams (As told to); Stevie Mack The folk art inspired by Day of the Dead, celebrated in Mexico and around the world, including the American Southwest, powerfully communicates the cultural traditions of this joyous holiday.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781423634430
Publication Date: 2015-08-01
Calavera Abecedario by Jeanette Winter Every year Don Pedro and his family make papier-mâché skeletons, or calaveras, for Mexico's Day of the Dead fiesta. Come dance with them! Includes a glossary of Spanish words and an author's note.
Call Number: 394.266 W458C (Curriculum Collection)
ISBN: 9780152059064
Publication Date: 2006-09-01
Day of the Dead in the USA by Regina M. Marchi 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.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780813545578
Publication Date: 2009-06-19
Day of the Dead by Julie Murray Easy-to-read text paired with colorful photos and informative captions introduces readers to a cultural holiday, Day of the Dead. Readers will learn about the origin of the holiday and its Aztec roots.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781624031823
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Daniela's Day of the Dead by Lisa Bullard; Holli Conger (Illustrator) Daniela is preparing for the Day of the Dead--the first one since her grandpa died. She makes an ofrenda with Grandpa's favorite things and toy skeletons. Her family has a party to remember Grandpa.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780761350842
Publication Date: 2012-08-01
Days of Death, Days of Life by Kristin Norget Kristin Norget explores the practice and meanings of death rituals in poor urban neighborhoods on the outskirts of the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca. Drawing on her extensive fieldwork in Oaxaca City, Norget provides vivid descriptions of the Day of the Dead and other popular religious practices. She analyzes how the rites and beliefs associated with death shape and reflect poor Oaxacans' values and social identity.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780231136891
Publication Date: 2005-12-13
Of Corpse: Death and Humor in Folkore and Popular Culture by Peter Narvaez Laughter, contemporary theory suggests, is often aggressive in some manner and may be prompted by a sudden perception of incongruity combined with memories of past emotional experience. Given this importance of the past to our recognition of the comic, it follows that some "traditions" dispose us to ludic responses. The studies in Of Corpse: Death and Humor in Folklore and Popular Culture examine specific interactions of text (jokes, poetry, epitaphs, iconography, film drama) and social context (wakes, festivals, disasters) that shape and generate laughter. Uniquely, however, the essays here peruse a remarkable paradox---the convergence of death and humor.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780874215595
Publication Date: 2003-07-01

Chatham's Celebration

COMING SOON: 2021 Día de los Muertos Event Series

Join us again in fall 2021 for Chatham University's annual Día de los Muertos event series! Day of the Dead is a special celebration practiced throughout many Spanish speaking countries with indigenous roots. The celebration is different in every culture and is intended to celebrate life. In the past, this event series has offered educational presentations from Professor Mildred López's Spanish LNG161 and LNG261 classes, who lead a presentation on the history and culture of this international holiday. This event has included games, crafts, and traditional refreshments. The second event in the series is lead by Dr. Elsa Arce from Counseling Services and includes a discussion on how to cope with grief, celebrate life, and honor both. A presentation from Professor López explains how women in Piura, Peru cope with the loss of children, and help each other as a community across generations. Stay tuned for details on when we will be bringing this event series back in the fall of 2021! These events are hosted as part of Chatham's Latinx Heritage Month celebrations and organized by Modern Languages, the JKM Library, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Counseling Services.

Read about our past events here:

How to Make Papel Picado
Día de los Muertos Coloring Pages
Template for Mariposas (Butterflies)
How to make Flores de Papel Cempasuchitl
Día de los Muertos Coloring Bookmarks
Recipes for Día de los Muertos Recipes for Traditional Indigenous Hot Xocolatl (Chocolate), by Mildred Lopez Escudero, and Mexican Pan de Muerto, by The Spruce Eats.

Watch/Listen

Día de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead -- Smithsonian Latino Center
Learn about the tradition and cultural practice for honoring our ancestors through the animated stories from a rumbustious teenager named Florentina and her encounters with her wise Abuelita! Featured digital collections and scholarship courtesy of the Smithsonian Latino Center.
Cultura Latina – The Day of the Dead in Latin America
Watch this video to learn more about how Bolivia, Mexico, and Ecuador celebrate el dia de los muertos!
Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life (English Subtitles)
Day of the Dead is a long term tradition, full of color and significance
for Mexicans. A tradition that has transcended, breaking borders and gaining the attention of people worldwide.
La Santa Cecilia - Calaverita
Music video by La Santa Cecilia performing Calaverita. (C) 2015 Universal Music Latino/Arju Productions, Inc.
Rodrigo Gallardo - A la Muerte
A la Muerte by Rodrigo Gallardo, track provided to YouTube by Ingrooves
Xochipitzahuatl "Flor Menudita" Día de Muertos (Mexican Death Music)

Learn More!

Credo Reference
Search for "Day of the Dead" or "Dia de los Muertos" in Credo to get general encyclopedic information about the international holiday!

JSTOR
Search hundreds of thousands of books and scholarly journals to learn more about the Day of the Dead and how it's celebrated around the world.
Artstor
Use Artstor to browse historical and present day images related to the Day of the Dead. You can find artwork, artifacts, photography, and more here! Another fun feature is narrowing your search results down by geography in order to see the differences in how each country celebrates the holiday.
History Reference Center
Search primary source documents, peer reviewed journals, reference books, images of maps, historical photos, and video about the history of the Day of the Dead.
Day of the Dead - Wikipedia
Top 10 Things to Know About the Day of the Dead
We've all heard about the Day of the Dead or seen the classic sugar skull paintings—but what does this celebration really represent? Learn more from National Geographic.
7 Dia de los Muertos Celebrations Across Latin America
This is a celebration observed in many countries around the world. Learn a bit more about how seven of those countries do the Day of the Dead, from HIPLATINA.