Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the time of the year when the spirit world and the world of the living are closest. View the video of Christopher Jones, a PhD candidate in the Tulane Department of Anthropology, explaining the history of the holiday, which is observed annually on Nov. 1–2.

"Day of the Dead is a celebration of death, which to us in the United States sounds morbid, strange or peculiar," says Jones. "Halloween, which is around the same time, is about evil spirits that threaten us, but in Mexico it's the opposite."



This weekend, the Latin American Resource Center at Tulane helps to kick off a Day of the Dead celebration in New Orleans.
View the video produced by Alicia Duplessis Jasmin, with photos provided by the Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane.

Celebrations in New Orleans continue to grow in popularity with several organizations hosting events. The Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane along with the Louisiana State Museum and the Mexican Consulate of New Orleans are celebrating the Day of the Dead this week with exhibits, an open house and a Día de los Muertos cultural celebration on Sunday (Nov. 1) at the Old U.S. Mint in the French Quarter from 2–4 p.m. The events are free to the public.

For more information, visit the Latin American Resource Center of the Stone Center for Lain American Studies online.