The Centre for Mexican Studies, UNAM-UK, has joined with the British Library, the Mexican Embassy and the UK Mexican Arts Society to celebrate Día de Muertos. 

The Mexican Día de Muertos has grown to capture hearts and imaginations around the world, with its dazzling visuals and rich heritage. Join us for a one-day festival of events in and around the British Library, preparing the way for Day of the Dead 2021.

We begin with the creation of a Day of the Dead altar featuring some of the Library’s own iconic neighbours, followed by pop-up poetry performances, cinema, workshops, Mexican market and much more. There is live music, dance performances and discussions, with a sneak peek into the British Library’s Mesoamerican collections, leading into a celebratory evening exploring Mesoamerican voices and cultures.

The pop-up altar will illuminate the British Library’s entrance hall and act as a centrepiece for all of the day’s events. You might even recognise a few local heroes included in the radiant artwork, created by renowned artist Carmen Mariscal.

There will be plenty of activities going on around the day, including some scheduled sessions and workshops. These are drop-in sessions but we will be monitoring capacity and limiting numbers for these workshops for safety reasons so we recommend arriving at least 5 minutes before the workshop starts.

Activities

11:00 – 12:00 – Spanish Story Time and Craft Activity with Magaly Flores (Eliot Room, Knowledge Centre)

A family-friendly session with colourful stories and handicrafts

12:30 – 13:30 - Literary Calaveritas Workshop with Mexican Poet Mabel Encinas (Eliot Room, Knowledge Centre)

Creative and colourful workshop led by Poet Mabel Encinas exploring the history and meaning of Calaveritas, the famous Day of the Dead Skull.

13:30 – 14:00 BL Show and Tell: Mesoamerican Treasures of the British Library (Knowledge Centre Theatre)

A fascinating show and tell of British Library collections relating to the Mexican Día de Muertos.

14:00 – 15:00 - Storytelling by Raúl Suárez (Knowledge Centre Foyer)

A Día de Muertos story-telling session for all the family

14:30 – 15:30 - Cempasúchil paper flowers workshop by Eulalia Gurza (Eliot Room, Knowledge Centre)

Create your own Día de Muertos decorations in the shape of the iconic Mexican marigold

15:00 – 16:00 - 15:00 – 16:00 - Tláloc Conference: Death in Pre-Hispanic Mexico, with Eduardo Matos-Moctezuma (Knowledge Centre Theatre) (Knowledge Centre Theatre)

The eminent Mexican archaeologist and founder of the Templo Mayor or Great Temple excavation project in Mexico City, will give this lecture in Spanish with English subtitles. He will explore how the inhabitants of Mesoamerica conceived death and the afterlife. Mesoamerican thought attributed great importance to duality: male-female duality, as well as life-death duality. The reverence that was felt for the deceased bears testimony to the sophistication of their culture, as well as their communion with the natural world. There will be a live Q&A session.

Professor Eduardo Matos-Moctezuma is a prominent Mexican archaeologist who has published nearly 500 works. He has held many posts in the field of Mexican archaeology, including the direction of the National Museum of Anthropology and History. Professor Matos has received many honours and awards both in Mexico and around the world, among them, the Henry B. Nicholson Medal and the creation of the Eduardo Matos Moctezuma’s Lecture Series, both at Harvard University.

16:30 – 17:30 - Chloë Sayer's book The Day of the Dead: A Visual Compendium (Knowledge Centre Theatre)

This Día de Muertos event will see Chloë Sayer in conversation about her book The Day of the Dead: A Visual Compendium.

19:00 – 21:30 - Día de Muertos on stage: Closing Gala (Knowledge Centre Theatre)

A two-part gala evening of exploration and celebration, featuring a dazzling array of musical and literary talents. Please note tickets will need to be booked for this session