THE ORIGIN OF LA DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

HISTORY

• The Spanish invaded Mexico in 1519.
• Dia de los Muertos is called a Mexican holiday.
• Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs were some of the civilizations that celebrated the holiday for 40 centuries.
• They believed in the afterlife.
• Aztecs had a festival celebrating the death of their ancestors while honoring Mitecacihuatl.

HISTORY CONTINUED

• The Aztecs believed that the dead should be celebrated instead of feeling sorrow.
• Festival honored the first los angelitos, dead children, and adults who passed away.
• Michtecacihuatl festival lasts for a whole month and starts around July and ends mid August.
• It's around the 9th month on the Aztec calendar during the time of the corn harvest.
• After the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in 1521 they tried to make the Aztecs adopt their Catholic relationships.

IT BEGAN....

• 16th century contact between Mesoamerica and Europe.
• Origins come from the Aztec philosophy and medieval European ritual practice.
• Aztecs would hold a celebration in the summer.
• The Spaniards came and brought the Christian holiday of All Soul's Day.

AZTEC PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

• The Aztec philosophy is the study of the nature, structure, and constitution of reality.
• Aztec religion was the interaction of gods, dates, directions, and colours.
• The Aztec gods who created the world failed five times.
• The gods failed because of the fighting between each other.

ORIGINS OF CELEBRATION

• Aztec celebration day of the dead was originally two-months of celebration.
• Durning the fall harvest, figures of death were honored.
• The festival was passed over by micheccichuatl, goddess of the dead.
• She was the underworld also known as the Aztecs às michiàn.

ORIGINS OF CELEBRATION CONTINUED

• Pre-Hispanic cultures believed that during the days of the day of the dead
• The souls of the deceased will return and visit there love ones.
• During the Aztecs times the celebration was overseen by goddess micheccichuatl.
• Lady of the dead.

HOW AZTECS CELEBRATED DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

• Children, dead ancestors, and fallen warriors were remembered and celebrated.
• Offerings were made and presented on altars.
• Clay images were placed on that same altar to represent the deceased being.
• This is where the tradition of leaving gifts and offerings on altars comes from.

HOW AZTECS CELEBRATED DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

• Ritual sacrifices were also given up to the gods
• Aztecs believed the most honorable death was "la muerte florida" (or flowering death) which
• was to die in combat or die giving birth.
• Annual right features were: skeletons, offerings upon alters, and other trappings of death.
• On the Day of the Dead, souls come alive to be celebrated by their living loved ones.

IN OTHER PLACES...

• The Catholic world of Italy,Spain,SouthAmerica and
• The Filipinas celebrated day of the dead and all saints day
• While the Day of the Dead and Halloween are based off
• All Souls' Day. Halloween is about gruesome and spirits
• The day of the dead is not based off of scaring .

Untitled Slide

• It's celebrated with family that's alive and the dead
• It's also about seeing death as another life.

SOURCES ...

• http://www.dayofthedeadsf.org/history.html
• http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/cuisines/mexico_day_of_the_dead.htm
• http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html
• http://www.nps.gov/cham/historyculture/day-of-the-dead-celebration.htm
• http://www.lapdonline.org/get_informed/content_basic_view/23720