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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome Message

I. Background

  1. Country and State Fact Sheet
    Blank Fact Sheet
    Completed Fact Sheet
  2. Big Maps
  3. The Mexican Flag
    Flag Terminology Handout
  4. Mexico's National Anthem
  5. History of Mexico and Veracruz

II. Music

  1. Los Utrera, Son Jarocho, El Fandango & Versada
  2. Instrument Making for
    Students and Adults
  3. World Music Links
  4. World Culture Links

III. Mexican Culture

  1. What is Culture?
    What is Culture? handout
  2. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
  3. Folklore
    Folklore Values Survey
  4. Culinary Culture
  5. Religions of Mexico—Architecture
    Religions of Mexico—Origin Myths

IV. Here and Now

  1. Migration and Immigration
  2. Borders
  3. Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples
  4. Stereotypes

V. Community Connections

  1. Before and After Questions
  2. Intercultural Connections
  3. The Heritage and Oral History Projects
  4. Student Curator Project
  5. Class Newspaper or Web site
  6. Culture on Parade
  7. Student Participation in Events

This curriculum was written by Jeanne Paliatka and Olaf Nelson for Arts Midwest.

Mexico

III: MEXICAN CULTURE

Part 2: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Introduction:
Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos is a festival of remembrance, a time to welcome the returning souls of the dead, especially deceased loved ones. The joyous festival is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd throughout Mexico and in many parts of the United States. Day of the Dead provides a vehicle to explore many aspects of Mexican culture, such as art, food, religion, cultural objects, values, and attitudes, especially about death. This ritual is very old and varies from place to place. Several key components exist, the most important of which is the making of ofrendas or offerings to deceased friends and relatives. The ofrendas are often placed on tables or altars.

Overview:
Students will create either two or three dimensional ofrendas honoring a deceased friend, relative, historical figure, or literary character. Students will also complete a short piece of creative writing in conjunction with the ofrendas that they create.

Objectives:
Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of Day of the Dead.
Students will explore Mexican attitudes toward death and draw parallels to their own views of death.
Students will learn the components of a traditional ofrenda and create two or three dimensional ofrendas of their own.

Grade Level:
Elementary through high school

Time Required:
One to three class periods

Materials:
Images of ofrendas (beneficial, but not required)
Picture or drawing of the person being honored
Magazines, glue and paper (if creating a collage ofrenda)
Objects (if creating a three dimensional ofrenda)
Any other art supplies that may be useful
Teachers may direct students to the Student Resources Pages where they can follow relevant links without having access to lesson plans.

Procedure:

  1. Students can be introduced to the concept of Day of the Dead and ofrendas in a variety of ways. The resources section contains links to a webquest and a scavenger hunt introduction, which allow students to discover the background information on their own. The information could also be conveyed through pictures and instruction. Students could also be introduced to Day of the Dead through a discussion of attitudes toward death within the US.
  2. Once students have a working understanding of the Day of the Dead as a whole, a discussion of the purpose and components of ofrendas is essential. The presence of the offering is thought to welcome the soul of the deceased person. As such, they often include favorite foods, objects associated with an individual's profession or hobbies, and items with cultural and religious symbolism. Although ofrendas can contain almost any object, there are several items which are traditionally included in most ofrendas. These include a picture of the deceased person, which is usually placed above the table or altar on which the items are placed, candles, flowers (usually marigolds), incense, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), and other foods, including the deceased person's favorite foods. (For a discussion of the symbolism of each of the offerings, see the book The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico.) The ofrendas that students make can include favorite foods of the deceased person, objects associated with his or her profession or hobbies, objects that reflect the individual's personality, history or aspirations, etc.
  3. Students should begin the process by first deciding who they will honor. Historical figures or literary characters could be honored using details from books or by adding details based on what students already know about a particular character. (These could also be completed in groups.) Students can honor deceased family and friends using memories, or details gleaned from conversations with other family members. Brainstorming these memories or details is a good way to begin.
  4. Students should then decide, or the teacher should decide, whether two or three dimensional ofrendas will be created. A collage is a good way to prepare two dimensional ofrendas; a collection of objects can serve as the basis of three dimensional offerings. Students could also create a diorama, paint their ofrendas, or write an essay that describes their objects.
  5. Students can explain the significance of the components of their ofrendas to the class or in small groups.
  6. A creative writing assignement connected to the ofrendas is a good way to extend the lesson. Have students imagine that they are present when their deceased relative, friend, historical figure or literary character returns to partake in the ofrendas left for him or her. Have students free write about the following questions:
    1. What questions would you ask this individual?
    2. What types of advice would requst from this person?
    3. What would you want to tell this person?
    4. What events have occurred since this person died that he or she should know about?
    5. What would you want this person to tell you?

A student could then write a dialogue illustrating a conversation with the deceased individual for whom the ofrendas were created, based on one or more of these questions, or on a topic of the student's choosing.

Extensions:
Depending on the time constraints and resources, students could:

  • make sugar skulls (See resources section for links to recipes.)
  • make pan de muerto (See resources section for links to recipes.)
  • research more aspects of Day of the Dead, such as the commingling of indigenous traditions present in the celebrations, or dances associated with the ritual
  • investigate the rites of passage associated with death of other cultures, or explore the symbolism of different aspects of the ritual
  • make and hang decorative banners of tissue paper (papel picado) (See The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico for black and white templates.)
  • create a brochure or power point presentation that highlights the core elements of Day of the Dead

Resources:
(Links will open in new windows.)

An excellent book with lots of information and color pictures is The Skeleton at the Feast: The Day of the Dead in Mexico, by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloe Sayer.

Mexico's Day of the Dead. Many articles, recipes, and personal essays about Dia De Los Muertos.

Dia De Los Muertos at azcentral.com. Another Web site devoted to Day of the Dead with lots of information, pictures, recipes, history and pictures and explanations of ofrendas (offerings).

Photographer Mary Andrade's Day of the Dead in Mexico site provides excellent visual images of many aspects of this festival.

North Boston Library Exchange: Day of the Dead. This site has an extensive list of links related to Day of the Dead.

A page with a thorough Day of the Dead webquest.

PBS' Foods of Mexico Web site focuses on the foods associated with the Day of the Dead celebration.