Fiesta : Days of the Dead & other Mexican festivals
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Fiesta : Days of the Dead & other Mexican festivals
University of Texas Press, published in co-operation with The British Museum Press, 2009
1st University of Texas Press ed
Available at 5 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes index
Bibliography: p. 126-127
"First published in 2009 by The British Museum Press"--t.p. verso
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Mexico has a vast range of annual festivals; several commemorate national events, but most are religious or spiritual in inspiration. After the Spanish Conquest of 1521, Roman Catholic teachings fused with the beliefs of native civilizations, so that even today the popular arts and crafts draw upon the Church as a rich source of imagery and a catalyst for creativity. Fiestas are often lavish and extremely costly. With extensive preparations, they commemorate local saints' days and religious holidays such as Christmas, Carnival, and Holy Week.
Many festivals are dominated by masked dances, with the devil, death, angels, and the deadly sins doing battle at fiesta time in countless village squares. During the Days of the Dead (All Saints' and All Souls' days, November 1 and 2), the deceased are thought to visit friends and relatives on earth. Families welcome the returning souls with flowers, incense, candles, and feasting. On December 12, Mexicans everywhere honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and an important symbol of national unity.
Drawing on her extensive travels in Mexico and the wide-ranging collections of the British Museum, Chloe Sayer gives a contemporary context to these colorful annual celebrations and shows how these festivities are uniquely Mexican. Vivid full-color images of an amazing array of objects, plus photos of people making and using them to celebrate an intriguing variety of local festivities, illustrate the text.
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