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The Day of the Dead or "Día de Los Muertos" is an important holiday in the Hispanic culture and it is mainly celebrated in Mexico that occurs on November 1st and 2nd. This celebration originated from Mayan traditions and has a strong representation in Mexico. All who celebrate this holiday believe that death is the next stage of life and that their loved ones are in a much better place.
This curated list offers students a collection of resources such as video, websites, and pictures that provide information about the meaning, traditions, and customs of the Day of the Dead. Students can use these resources to create infographics and class presentation about this important holiday for the Hispanic culture.
A simple article that presents nine interesting facts about the day of the dead, this are simple sentences that explain tradition and the spread of these customs throughout the rest of the world.
An infographic that shows the main elements of the celebration of the Day of the Dead.
This site is filled with pictures that represent the celebrations, customs and traditions of Mexicans during the observance of the day of the dead. These photos show the importance of life and the afterlife which they refer as "the next stage of life."
This is a website created by a travel agency that put together a variety of resources and information about the celebrations of the day of the dead.
This a collection of pictures taken during the day of the dead celebration all over Mexico. It shows a variety of Altars and the things that people put in them and a variety of skulls and skeletons which are elements that represent life after death.
Video that talks about the Day of the Dead's historical, religious and cultural connections and celebrations.
This website provides information about the traditions of the day of the dead - "Día de los muertos". The picture are vivd, colorful and representative of a beautiful traditional holiday. If you press the rest of the tabs you can read more about some of the traditional item used during this time.
This video has a Spanish narration about the day of the dead, but students can look at the images and get the idea of what is happening. This can also serve as an advance assignment for higher level students to work on translating and add English subtitles.
This video describes the traditions of the population of Oaxaca; a Mexican city where the Day of the Dead has strong traditions and roots.
The Smithsonian Latino Center has an interactive website that can be used by students and teachers to research the day of the dead. In the end, when you finish reading all the information, you have a page to create your altar with interactive objects that explain what they symbolize.
Tanisha Love Ramirez from The Huffington Post write an article about the Day of the Dead, and she adds a link to a short animated film about the Day of the Dead. This movie start with a little girl inside a cemetery building an altar, on the Day of the Dead, to honor her deceased mother. We are made aware of her deep sadness, but in an insistence, all changes and the little girl is "transported "to the land of the dead where she is reunited with her mother's spirit. In a very colorful and engaging way, we can learn about the Day of the Dead traditions and customs, and we are left with the feeling and knowledge that Death is only part of the journey and the next stage of life according to the cultures that celebrate the Day of the Dead.
The author of this article, Sara Coughlin does a great job describing the facts and the traditions surrounding the Hispanic holiday of the Día de Los Muertos. She talks about some of the misconception surrounding this Holiday, and she explains the real meaning of this day for the Hispanic population.
