Is There a Mexican View of Death?

Abstract

Reviewing social science literature over the past half century, this article identifies a widely held image of what we might call the morbid Mexican. In contrast to people from other cultural traditions, Mexicans are said to scorn and laugh at death and to be comfortable in the presence of death. They are also portrayed as relatively impervious to the emotional impact of death. Through a systematic survey of ethnographic data, particularly concerning funerals and mortuary ritual, the article challenges this portrayal of Mexican national character. It traces the origin and perpetuation of the stereotypical Mexican attitude toward death to the broad dissemination of popular images derived from the Day of the Dead.

Existential Threat or Dissociative Response? Examining Defensive Avoidance of Point-of-Care Testing Devices Through a Terror Management Theory Framework

“…This may mean that people from different cultures where death is seen in a similar light to the Irish cultural perspective do not experience proximal and distal defenses in the face of mortality reminders in the manner posited by TMT researchers. For instance, TMT-related processes might not work for Mexican people who are said to scorn and laugh at death, are seemingly comfortable in the presence of death, and even celebrate death in their annual ''Day of the Dead'' (Brandes, 2003). In this way, TMT effects and processes may be limited to cultural groups who have not explicitly incorporated death into their worldviews.…”

The Day of the Dead: One Ritual, New Folk Costumes, and Old Identities

“…The Day of the Dead fosters local economy (Haley & Fukuda 2004;Brandes 2003), and it brings international migrants home (Marchi 2005;Haley & Fukuda 2004). The politics of the Day of the Dead have been analyzed in the American diaspora 3 (Marchi 2005;Orellana 2011a) and in the urban context (Orellana 2011a), but much less in rural contexts.…”

Grieving Through Day of the Dead: The Influence of Culture on Processes and Resources

“…Having direct hands-on experiences with death can certainly increase the exposure and in turn the familiarity of it. The high percentage of rural populations who deal with death more closely and consistently contribute and reinforce the increased acceptance in Mexican culture (Brandes, 2003).…”

“…Mexico is overall a lot more accepting of the concept of death, and in turn have a more direct relationship with death. It is not hidden or viewed as a taboo subject like it is in the United States (Brandes, 2003). It is not to say that Mexico as a country mourns more better than others, but the social norms permit more opportunities to grieve effectively, often, and with more social interaction.…”

“…Further the festival is a reflection of Mexico's culture of death which is based on a familiarity and acceptance of the often times difficult subject (Brandes, 2003). This literature review will analyze how grief and mourning are manifested through Day of the Dead in the context of Mexico's culture.…”