Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead
eBook - PDF

Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead

The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead

The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond

About this book

Each October, as the Day of the Dead draws near, Mexican markets overflow with decorated breads, fanciful paper cutouts, and whimsical toy skulls and skeletons. To honor deceased relatives, Mexicans decorate graves and erect home altars. Drawing on a rich array of historical and ethnographic evidence, this volume reveals the origin and changing character of this celebrated holiday. It explores the emergence of the Day of the Dead as a symbol of Mexican and Mexican-American national identity.

Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead poses a serious challenge to the widespread stereotype of the morbid Mexican, unafraid of death, and obsessed with dying. In fact, the Day of the Dead, as shown here, is a powerful affirmation of life and creativity. Beautifully illustrated, this book is essential for anyone interested in Mexican culture, art, and folklore, as well as contemporary globalization and identity formation.

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Yes, you can access Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead by Stanley Brandes in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Cultural & Social Anthropology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. FIGURES AND PLATES
  2. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  3. PART 1 INTRODUCTION
  4. 1 THE DAY OF THE DEAD, PROBLEMS AND PARADOXES
  5. PART 2 HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS
  6. 2 THE SWEETNESS OF DEATH
  7. 3 SKULLS AND SKELETONS
  8. PART 3 CONTEMPORARY TRANSFORMATIONS
  9. 4 TOURISM AND THE STATE
  10. 5 THE POETICS OF DEATH
  11. 6 THE DAY OF THE DEAD AND HALLOWEEN
  12. PART 4 NORTH OF THE BORDER
  13. 7 TEACHING THE DAY OF THE DEAD
  14. 8 CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY
  15. PART 5 CONCLUSION
  16. 9 MEXICAN VIEWS OF DEATH
  17. REFERENCES
  18. INDEX
  19. Colour Plates