Dia de Los Muertos

Día de los Muertos and UC Berkeley Library Collections

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an essential Mexican holiday, primarily celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. It is a time for families and friends to gather, pray for, and remember loved ones who have died. The celebration is vibrant, focusing on life and remembrance, rather than mourning. Key traditions include creating ofrendas (altars) decorated with marigolds (cempasúchil), favorite foods and drinks of the departed, candles, and colorful sugar skulls (calaveras).

Main (Gardner) Stacks: This collection, directly connected to Doe Library, houses the majority of circulating materials. Researchers can find academic books, scholarly journals, and monographs on Mexican and Latin American history, anthropology, sociology, and folk art, which provide context and analysis of the holiday’s origins, syncretism, and regional variations. These materials cover the social and cultural significance of the holiday. One can locate related materials in Spanish language here. Several key resources that emblematically represent Mexico’s relation to different aspects of tradition. Some examples are Pedro Páramo de Juan Rulfo, La idea de la muerte en México de Claudio Lomnitz, La muerte en los mexicas de Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, Códice Telleriano-Remensis.
The Bancroft Library: Located within the Doe Annex, Bancroft is the university’s premier special collections library. Its Latin Americana Collection is a critical resource for primary materials related to Día de los Muertos and broader Mexican culture. This collection has been known to feature items such as:
- Rare publications and historical documents on Mexican traditions.
- Original materials related to the arts and political satire, including the iconic works of artist José Guadalupe Posada (known for his skeletal figures, or calaveras), whose prints have heavily influenced the holiday’s visual iconography.
We invite you to visit our online exhibition on the art of José Guadalupe Posada

In the pantheon of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artists who represent Mexico and Mexican art, the artwork of José Guadalupe Posada stands out as a bright constellation that continues to shine a light on important stories through woodcuts, imprints, and engravings. This virtual exhibition is a counterpart of the physical exhibition on Posada that was created by Liladhar P., the Librarian for Latin American Collections. The title of this exhibition is "Illustrating México one page at a time-Print Art of José Guadalupe Posada."The exhibition also highlights two important contemporary Mexican artists: Artemio Rodriguez and Sergio Sánchez Santamaría who continue to cherish and carry the legacy of José Guadalupe Posada. However, I note that these artists have their own stories and own unique style that illustrates the beauty of Mexico's printmaking heritage. This exhibition highlights selected print-items by José Guadalupe Posada. The curator owes a debt of gratitude to Aisha Hamilton and Virgie Hoban. — Illustrating Mexico one page at a time-Print Art of José Guadalupe Posada

Several venues across the East Bay feature Día de los Muertos altars. The Oakland Public Library is among the organizations hosting a related activity. Below are photos of the altar created by the library’s César Chávez branch (formerly the Latin American Library) to commemorate this important cultural tradition.

Photos below: Credit: Liladhar P.