Mexican cultures mixed with European beliefs to forge a diversity of practices around  November 2 that reflect different peoples’ experiences with death and honoring the dead. An  examination of different practices across time and space, using urban and rural Oaxacan  examples–especially from Teotitlán del Valle–illustrate how these practices of honoring the  dead reflect people’s beliefs and experiences.

Bios:

Martha Rees has studied women’s work,  peasant household economy, migration, and health. Having worked in Mexican universities and institutions, she is currently president of the Welte Institute  for Oaxacan Studies, Inc. [https://institutowelte.org/], a library of Oaxacan materials in Oaxaca.

Zeferino Mendoza Bautista has a degree in cultural promotion. Formerly the librarian at the Welte Institute, he is currently a promotor cultural at the Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos  Indígenas, where he works on projects to protect the Zapotec languages in the valley of  Oaxaca, including his home town of Teotitlán del Valle.