Bede There, Done That

Episode 1: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - Show Notes Summary In our first episode, we talk about Día de los Muertos, Mexico's unique take on All Souls and All Saints Days. We discuss the pre-Hispanic history of the holiday and whether it is truly Catholic (we say Yes!). Our sources are listed down in the next section, especially the book The Skeleton at the Feast by Elizabeth Carmichael and Chloë Sayer. Here is a quick summary of what we covered in this episode: Many traditions now connected with Day of the Dead go back to Mexico's Native American roots. The Aztecs believed "the nature of life was strictly governed by the need to propitiate the gods." (Skeleton at the Feast, page 28). The Aztec god who ruled the underworld was named Mictlantecuhtli and depicted as a skeleton. The Aztecs celebrated two month long festivals called the "Little Feast of the Dead" and the "Great Feast of the Dead" in the summer. Practices such as decorating altars with flowers and food offerings go back to these festiva