Day of the Dead: A Passion for Life/Día de los Muertos. Pasión por la vida.

By staff -- Críticas, 6/1/2007

Gr 9+–Part guidebook, part research, and part coffee-table tome (in paperback), this is a valuable, though rather sprawling account of the Day of the Dead specifically as it is celebrated in P’urphepecha (formerly known as Tarasco) indigenous communities of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Through interviews with anthropologists and the celebrants themselves, the author teases out the meanings, origins, and variations on rituals, art, altars and offerings, food, and songs. Andrade’s first-person account is suffused with admiration for the unique cultural and religious syncretism, the unfamiliar (to us) idea of celebrating the dead, and the importance of the tradition as a cultural touchstone. Vibrant and plentiful photographs show the people, their rituals, and intricate preparations, with bright backgrounds complementing the feast of colors. A photo index, glossary, and map of the area are included, as well as several recipes, including pan de los muertos. Poems by the Spaniard Julie Sopetran are sprinkled in for good measure. The author’s fairly plodding and at times confusing English translation doesn’t do justice to her fine original Spanish writing, but manages to get the information across. A terrific resource for K-12 educators, or useful in sections as a reference for middle or high-school students.—Veronica Covington, Univ. of TX, Austin