Día de los Muertos
From Aztec Mythology to Disney’s Coco: Mexican Passion, Devotion and Identity

Dr. Rafael Luévano

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is the sacred and jocular Mexican celebration that gathers family to honor their departed relatives and friends. Recent globalization of the celebration exploded with Walt Disney Pictures’ release of Coco (2017), the most popular film in Mexican history. The celebration of Día de los Muertos is traditionally understood as originating with ancient Aztec sacrificial death rites, but what is the true origin of this remarkable celebration? How is it celebrated in Mexico? What is its future in the US? And most important, what does Día de los Muertos tell us about Latinx identity? Vibrant photo-documentation will offer illuminative examples from local celebrations in Mexico and the US.

• 4/19 Mexicans at Work with Dr. Ruben Espinoza
• 4/26 Where is Mozlandia? with Dr. Melissa M. Hidalgo
• 5/3 Booming Bandas of Los Angeles with Dr. Xóchitl C. Chávez
• 5/10 The Trailblazing Women of Mariachi with Dr. Leonor Perez

Heartbeat of Mexico: Big Ideas
A free, public series exploring the depths of Mexican and Mexican-American culture by top academics in the fields of Mexican Studies, Religious Studies, and Music leading to Heartbeat of Mexico free festival at Chapman University on May 27.

Co-sponsors: Chapman University’s Latinx Staff and Faculty Forum, Musco Center for the Arts, Cross-Cultural Center, and Leatherby Libraries

A Musco Center World CAFE Event