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The Day of the Dead (Spanish: ''Día de Muertos'' or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and is held on November 1 and 2. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and to remember friends and family members who have died. It is commonly portrayed as a day of celebration rather than mourning. Mexican academics are divided on whether the festivity has indigenous pre-hispanic roots or whether it is a 20th-century rebranded version of a Spanish tradition developed by the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas to encourage Mexican nationalism through an "Aztec" identity. The festivity has become a national symbol and as such is taught in the nation's school system, typically asserting a native origin. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: ''Día de Muertos'' or ''Día de los Muertos'') is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and is held on November 1 and 2. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and to remember friends and family members who have died. It is commonly portrayed as a day of celebration rather than mourning. Mexican academics are divided on whether the festivity has indigenous pre-hispanic roots or whether it is a 20th-century rebranded version of a Spanish tradition developed by the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas to encourage Mexican nationalism through an "Aztec" identity. The festivity has become a national symbol and as such is taught in the nation's school system, typically asserting a native origin. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

== History ==

== History ==

[[File:Posada Lagartijo.jpeg|thumb|Lagartijo (Dandy) by José Guadalupe Posada.]]Mexico's counterpart to Halloween, the Day of the Dead, corresponds to the [[Catholic]] holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 1–2. In the English speaking world, these holidays were suppressed during the Reformation. As a result, traditions associated with them have transferred to Halloween.

Mexico's counterpart to Halloween, the Day of the Dead, corresponds to the [[Catholic]] holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on Nov. 1–2. In the English speaking world, these holidays were suppressed during the Reformation. As a result, traditions associated with them have transferred to Halloween.

The skeletons, skulls and the other morbid imagery of the Day of the Dead are based on the illustrations of Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada (1851 - 1913). His style was influenced by Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746 - 1828). Unaware of this history, modern Mexicans generally see the holiday as an aspect of their Aztec heritage.<ref name="Gonzales">Gonzales, Agustin Sanchez, "[https://relatosehistorias.mx/nuestras-historias/dia-de-muertos-tradicion-prehispanica-o-invencion-del-siglo-xx Día de muertos, ¿Tradición prehispánica o invención del siglo XX?], ''2 Relatos Históricos de México'', Nov. 2, 2007.</ref>

The skeletons, skulls and the other morbid imagery of the Day of the Dead are based on the illustrations of Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada (1851 - 1913). His style was influenced by Spanish painter Francisco Goya (1746 - 1828). Unaware of this history, modern Mexicans generally see the holiday as an aspect of their Aztec heritage.<ref name="Gonzales">Gonzales, Agustin Sanchez, "[https://relatosehistorias.mx/nuestras-historias/dia-de-muertos-tradicion-prehispanica-o-invencion-del-siglo-xx Día de muertos, ¿Tradición prehispánica o invención del siglo XX?], ''2 Relatos Históricos de México'', Nov. 2, 2007.</ref>