The skeleton at the feast : the Day of the Dead in Mexico
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The skeleton at the feast : the Day of the Dead in Mexico
University of Texas Press, 1992
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Note
"Published in co-operation with British Museum Press."
Bibliography: p. 153-155
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
All over Mexico, early in November, families gather to welcome the souls of the dead on their annual visit home. The smells of burning copal incense and pungent cempasuchil (marigolds) mingle with the aromas of fresh bread, new clothing, sweets, and candles. One of Mexico's most important festivals since prehispanic times, the Day of the Dead is an occasion for celebrating and feasting, cleaning and decorating graves, dancing and making music.
In this unique work, the authors explore both the historic origins of this holiday and its colorful present-day celebrations in Mexico and the United States. Interviews with Mexican artists and crafters who provide goods for the festival-from personalized sugar skulls to gigantic papier-mache skeletons-offer a fascinating glimpse into traditional and contemporary attitudes toward death and the dead.
Lavishly illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, The Skeleton at the Feast will be required reading for all who are interested in Mexican culture, art, and folklore.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Map of Mexico
Foreword by John Mack
Introduction
Part I
The Day of the Dead
The Pre-Hispanic Background
The Spanish Conquest
Travellers' Tales
The Here and Now
Part II: Interviews
Introduction
Fredy Mendez, La Congregacion del Tajin, State of Veracruz
Juan Simbron, La Congregacion del Tajin, State of Veracruz
Froylan Martinez Cuenca, Huaquechula, State of Puebla
Candido Reyes Castillo, Huaquechula, State of Puebla
Luis Vivanco, San Salvador Huixcolotla, State of Puebla
Consuelo Garcia Urrutia, Toluca, State of Mexico
Wenceslao Rivas Contreras, Toluca, State of Mexico
Maria Antonieta Sanchez de Escamilla, Puebla City
Arsacio Vanegas Arroyo, Mexico City
Victor Fosado Vazquez, formerly Mexico City
Appendix: The Day of the Dead in Mixqui by Elizabeth Baquedano Meza
Notes to Part I
Notes to Part II
Glossary
Bibliography
List of illustrations
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"