GLOSARIO DE TÉRMINOS PARA EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
# ___ NOMBRE ___________________________________________________ Periodo ___
It is often difficult for those who are not of Mexican descent to understand the tradition
of Day of the Dead. ''The word death is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in
London, because it burns the lip,'' Octavio Paz, a famous Mexican writer and winner of
the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature wrote in an essay about the Day of the Dead. ''The
Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, celebrates it; it is
one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love. True, there is perhaps as much
fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away."
To prepare for the field trip and understand the intricacies of observing Día de los Muertos,
look up each term and use at least two websites to come
up with your answer.
WRITE THE SOURCES BELOW YOUR ANSWER.
 To search for the each term, you can use Google.
 Type the term and then, in quotes, type Day of the
Dead.
- For many of the terms, I have already suggested how
to search for the answers.
- You may also want to enter these terms into
Google Images to see what objects may look like.
(A) Los Términos
1. Ofrenda (Altar/Offering) – Listed below are the four elements of life found on an altar.
* How many levels does an altar generally have? What does each represent?
A. Earth – a) What does this element represent?
b) List items that are on an “ofrenda” to represent this element.
B. Wind/Air– a) What does this element represent?
b) List items that are on an “ofrenda” to represent this element.
C. Fire– a) What does this element represent?
b) List items that are on an “ofrenda” to represent this element.
D. Water– a) What does this element represent?
b) List items that are on an “ofrenda” to represent this element.
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2. Calaveras is the name of two different types of art: sugar skulls and a type of poem.
a. Sugar Skull – What is its significance for the Day of the Dead?
Describe what it typically looks like and how it is decorated.
b. Calavera poem – Describe the “calavera poem”, when they originated and what its
significance or purpose is.
3. La Catrina – Search Google:"la catrina" "day of the dead"
a. When did Jorge Guadalupe Posada first design this image and for what purpose (what was he
trying to say)?
b. Describe the image of “La Catrina” and you can sketch it. Search Google Images: la catrina
4. Cementerio (cemetery) – Search Google: cemetery "day of the dead" ritual
a. During the Days of the Dead, who gathers at the cemetery and what they do there?
b. What was Mictlán?
5. Cempasúchil or cempazuchitl or zempasuchil – Search Google: Cempasúchil "Day of the Dead" meaning
a. What is the origin of this word and/or from what language is it derived?
b. What does the cempasúchil represent and what does it look like?
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6. Copal – Search Google: copal meaning "Day of the Dead"
a. What is copal?
b. From what language is the word derived?
c. What does it represent?
7. Pan de muerto –
a. Describe “pan de muerto” and its significance for the Day of the Dead.
b. In what shapes/forms are these made? What do the shapes represent?
8. Papel picado
a. Describe what this is and what its significance is for Day of the Dead.
b. What was it made of originally? Where was it first used? What was it originally used for?
9. La Virgen de Guadalupe (Mexico’s patron saint)
a. What is the story of La Virgen de Guadalupe?
(B) Answer the following questions with as much detail as possible.
1. Besides Mexico, where are some places around the world that also celebrate the Day of the Dead?
And/or, what are some similar traditions?
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2. “El Día de los Muertos” coincides with “La Noche de las Vísperas” (Halloween). How are these
days connected (besides being a couple of days apart)? What are the origins of each?
3. What is “gentrification”? What does “gentrification” have to do with Pilsen?
(C) LOS ÁLTARES EN EL MUSEO NACIONAL DE ARTES MEXICANOS
1. Give a brief summary of the most important points about the Mexican War of Independence:
Who fought? When did the war occur – from what year until what year? What was Mexico
fighting for (besides their Independence)?
2. In what year was Mexico’s Revolutionary War? What was each side fighting for? Who was
Porfirio Diaz?
3. Besides the well-known earthquake that happened earlier in the year in Haiti, there was also
one in Chile. When did it occur? What parts of Chile (or other countries) were effected?
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