Day of the Dead

Anonymous
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ritual
    the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies
    More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death.
  2. Mesa
    a city in Arizona just to the east of Phoenix
    Celebrations are held each year in Mesa, Chandler, Guadalupe and at Arizona State University.
  3. Aztec
    a member of the Nahuatl people who established an empire in Mexico that was overthrown by Cortes in 1519
    Although the ritual has since been merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls.
  4. conquistador
    a 16th-century Spanish conqueror of Peru and Mexico
    More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death.
  5. decease
    the event of dying or departure from life
    Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives.
  6. indigenous
    originating where it is found
    It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years.
  7. Hispanic
    an American whose first language is Spanish
    "The pre-Hispanic people honored duality as being dynamic," said Christina Gonzalez, senior lecturer on Hispanic issues at Arizona State University.
  8. symbolize
    express indirectly by an image, form, or model
    The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth.
  9. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate.
  10. decorate
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles.
  11. evolve
    undergo development
    In Mesa, the ritual has evolved to include other cultures, said Zarco Guerrero, a Mesa artist.
  12. coincide
    happen simultaneously
    To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today.
  13. rural
    living in or characteristic of farming or country life
    In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried.
  14. dynamic
    characterized by action or forcefulness of personality
    "The pre-Hispanic people honored duality as being dynamic," said Christina Gonzalez, senior lecturer on Hispanic issues at Arizona State University.
  15. incense
    make furious
    "We offer incense, flowers.
  16. civilization
    a society in an advanced state of social development
    The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual.
  17. culture
    all the knowledge and values shared by a society
    "They didn't separate death from pain, wealth from poverty like they did in Western cultures."
  18. homage
    respectful deference
    "We pay homage to the Mexicans killed in auto accidents while being smuggled across the border," he said.
Created on Wed Jun 09 11:37:14 EDT 2010

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