Entering Mictlan: Ancestral Veneration in Historical, Contemporary, & Diasporic Mexico

This is a 120-minute intermediate level lecture.

In the last decade or so, Día de Muertos has become a popular & well heard of celebration internationally. Celebrated in many places in Latin America, it is most well known as its Mexican iteration standing as a true test of time & proof of resistance to colonialism & the importance of ancestral veneration in Mexican history, culture, religion(s) & spiritual traditions.

Going beyond Día de Muertos, this class will focus on how ancestral veneration manifested throughout time, from pre-colonial, colonial, post-independence, contemporary & diasporic Mexico. As well as discussing the reclamation of ancestral veneration as socio-political resistance, connection, & as diasporic expression of longing for the ancestral homeland.

About the Presenter:

Lavender Mendez Ruvalcaba (they/she), is a writer, bruja, occultist, psychic medium, & Santa Muerte devotee. Lavender centers her spiritual work around personal & collective transformation & ancestral healing, with an approach focusing on…