# Día de los Muertos — Sources

All content was verified against museum, university, and cultural-institution sources and
framed as a **living tradition** (not "Mexican Halloween"), with regional and family variation
made visible. Content model: `activities.js`.

## Core cultural sources
- **UNESCO** — "Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead" (Representative List, inscribed 2008): dates late Oct–Nov; fusion of pre-Hispanic rites with Catholic feasts; marigold petals, candles, and offerings guiding paths; paper cut-outs and favorite dishes. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indigenous-festivity-dedicated-to-the-dead-00054
- **Smithsonian Magazine** — "The Meaning Behind Six Objects on Día de los Muertos Altars" (roles of marigolds, candles, copal, water, salt, pan de muerto, photographs, personal objects). https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/meaning-behind-six-objects-dia-de-los-muertos-altars-180973442/
- **Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage** — "Altered Altars: The Changing Traditions of Día de los Muertos" (living, changing tradition; variation by family/region; U.S. diffusion). https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/altered-altars-changing-traditions-dia-de-los-muertos
- **National Museum of Mexican Art** — "Día de Muertos: A Time to Grieve and Remember" (remembrance, not Halloween). https://nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/events/dia-de-muertos-a-time-to-grieve-and-remember

## Specific facts and myth corrections
- **La Catrina** — from José Guadalupe Posada's early-1900s "Calavera Garbancera," later named "La Catrina" by Diego Rivera; a modern satirical image, **not** an ancient Aztec deity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina
- **Papel picado** — chisel-cut "papel de China" tissue-paper craft; San Salvador Huixcolotla, Puebla recognized as its cradle (declared state cultural heritage 1998). https://www.mexican-folk-art-guide.com/papel-picado.html · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Salvador_Huixcolotla
- **Monarch butterflies** — Purépecha of Michoacán associate monarchs arriving near the holiday with returning souls; migration timing overlaps the holiday. https://blog.xcaret.com/en/monarch-butterfly-purepecha-worldview-day-of-the-dead/ · https://blog.nwf.org/2023/10/day-of-the-dead-and-monarch-conservation/
- **Sugar skulls (alfeñique)** — colonial sugar-craft origins; some edible, many made to display; death made familiar. https://daily.jstor.org/what-do-sugar-skulls-mean-on-el-dia-de-los-muertos/
- **Nov 1 (angelitos) / Nov 2 (adults); pre-Hispanic + Catholic blend** — HISTORY, "Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos): Traditions." https://www.history.com/articles/day-of-the-dead
- **Regional contrast** — Michoacán (Pátzcuaro/Janitzio) candlelit lakeside cemetery vigils vs. Oaxaca comparsas street processions. https://culturestraveled.com/patzcuaro-dia-de-muertos-michoacan/

## Guardrails applied
- Rejects "Mexican Halloween," costume-theme, and monolithic-practice framings in every teacher note.
- Uses a genuine "Depends on community or family" category so variation is honored, not flattened.
- The Memory Story activity never requires students to disclose personal grief; fictional/historical subjects are welcome.
- Image prompts avoid text/lettering, avoid depicting real people, and avoid copying any sacred or personal imagery.