Day of the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon

Glossary

Glossary atole de maíz: A warm, thick, porridge-like corn drink made in Mexico and Central America. calavera: The Spanish word for “skull” and also “rakish person.” In Mexico, the term refers to skull-shaped toys, figurines, art, and sweets; to political and humorous skull and skeleton drawings in the style of José Guadalupe Posada; and to satirical poems created for the Days of the Dead. calaveritas: Miniature skeleton-shaped figures,usually positioned in humorous, lifelike scenes. Central America: The isthmus between southern Mexico and northern Colombia, comprising the countries of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Chicano/a: Also sometimes spelled “Xicano/a.”This term is used as a marker of self-determination and ethnic pride by Mexican Americans who identify with the political and cultural goals of the Chicano Movement. Not all Mexican Americans identify as Chicanos. Chicanos are a subset of Mexican Americans dedicated to progressive or radical political organizing work and/or the creation of politically meaningful public art. In California and the Southwest , some non-Mexican Latinos, who identify with the Chicano Movement’s history and goals, also identify themselves as Chicanos. Chicanismo: “Chicano-ness.” The term refers to Chicanos or the Chicano Movement. Chicano Movement: Political and cultural movement that blossomed in the 1970s (with roots going back to the 1930s), celebrating Mexican American histories and cultural traditions, and working on a broad cross section of issues affecting the Mexican American and larger Latino community, including improved educational opportunities, voting and political rights, farm workers’ rights, and Native American land rights. The movement seeks to address discrimination and negative stereotypes of Mexicans and other Latinos in the mass media and the general U.S. consciousness by means of political organizing, scholarship, and the creation of literary and visual art that validates 167 Mexican American and Latino cultures. Political transformation through collective efforts, and spiritually influenced artistic expression (particularly visual art) are major themes of the movement. chicha: An alcoholic,fermented corn drink made in various countries of Latin America. guaguas: In Andean countries, refers to breads baked in the shape of babies or animals. Indigenous: For the purposes of this book, a noun or adjective referring to the autochthonous peoples of the Americas (those whose ancestors had the earliest human presence in the geographical region where they live). This includes people who identify as Indigenous, speak Indigenous languages, and live in relatively isolated Indigenous communities, as well as those who do not identify as Indigenous or live in Indigenous areas, but maintain Indigenous linguistic or cultural practices. “Indian,” often used synonymously with “Indigenous,” is considered an inaccurate and derogatory term by Latin American Indigenous rights organizations. Latin America: In most contemporary usage, refers to those territories in the Americas where the Spanish or Portuguese languages are dominant. Latino/a: A noun or adjective that refers to a person of Latin American ancestry living in the United States.This includes people of Cuban, Dominican , Puerto Rican, Mexican, Central American, or South American heritage, regardless of race. It applies to native-born U.S. citizens and Latin Americans who have immigrated to the United States. Although often used interchangeably with “Hispanic” (a word that comes from the Latin word for Spain),“Latino” is the preferred term by those who resent the historical privileging of Spanish over Latin American cultures. Latinidad: A noun used primarily by researchers studying ethnic and racial identity, to refer to a collective sense of pan-Latino “Latin-ness.” Mesoamerica: Means “Middle America” in Greek.This term is used by archeologists ,anthropologists,and ethnologists to describe a cultural zone comprising southern Mexico,Guatemala,Belize,El Salvador,western Honduras,the Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua,and northwestern Costa Rica,where Indigenous inhabitants share cultural similarities brought about by centuries of intra- and interregional interaction.These include agricultural techniques (particularly a heavy reliance on the cultivation of maize), similar calendar and numerical systems, similar pictographic and hieroglyphic writing systems, shared grammatical traits, and shared ideological and spiritual concepts. Glossary 168 Mestizo: Describes peoples and/or cultures that are the product of racial mixing. ofrenda: The Spanish word for “offering.” In Mexico and elsewhere, the word refers to altars laden with foods, flowers, candles, and other offerings made to deceased relatives during the Days of the Dead. pan de muerto: Ornately shaped sweet bread baked in Mexico for the Days of the Dead. papel picado: Intricate, brightly colored tissue...