Day of the Dead at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology highlights the holiday on November 1.

Masks, mariachi music, and sugar skulls at Harvard’s Peabody Museum
Roger D. Metcalf/Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

Celebrating Day of the Dead at Harvard
Roger D. Metcalf/Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

www.peabody.harvard.edu

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)—when families and friends remember and commune with their lost loved ones—is an annual spiritual celebration in Mexico and parts of Latin America. The concept originated with the Aztecs and now combines aspects of Mesoamerican beliefs and rituals with Catholic traditions, especially those enacted on All Saints’ Day. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology highlights the holiday on November 1 with its own Día de los Muertos family event featuring Mexican folk dances, live mariachi music, sugar-skull decorating, and traditional snacks like pan de muerto (bread of the dead).

Traditionally, the holiday is marked by visits to cemeteries to decorate graves and sometimes to sing, play music, and dance. In homes, families adorn altars with photographs of the deceased as well as with the objects and foods they loved, flowers, incense and candles, and religious imagery. The Peabody has its own permanent altar that holds items from the Melvin collection of Mexican folk art; visitors on November 1 may contribute to a separate communal altar that will remain on display for one month.

Read more articles by Nell Porter-Brown

You might also like

Concerts and Carols at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Tuning into one of Boston's best chamber music halls 

The Peabody Essex Museum Spotlights Designer Andrew Gn

Landmark exhibition on global fashion 

Japan as It Never Will Be Again

Harvard’s Stillman collection showcases glimpses of the Meiji era. 

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard’s New Playbook for Teaching with AI

Faculty across Harvard are rethinking assignments to integrate AI. 

How Maga Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Explore More From Current Issue

Aerial view of a landscaped area with trees and seating, surrounded by buildings and parking.

Landscape Architect Julie Bargmann Transforming Forgotten Urban Sites

Julie Bargmann and her D.I.R.T. Studio give new life to abandoned mines, car plants, and more.

People gather near the John Harvard Statue in front of University Hall surrounded by autumn trees.

A Changed Harvard Faces the Future

After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt. 

A vibrant bar scene with tropical decor, featuring patrons sitting on high stools.

Best Bars for Seasonal Drinks and Snacks In Greater Boston

Gathering spots that warm and delight us