In class, we have started talking about Día de los muertos, or Day of the Dead, as we learn about Mexican culture. This coming week we will be reading the book Pablo Remembers by George Anacona, which does a great job of telling the story of Day of the Dead through the perspective of a young boy in Mexico and includes lots of great Spanish vocabulary as it describes his family's preparation for the festival. 

Here are some great events going on in DC to celebrate Día de los muertos on November 1st and 2nd. 

1. Don't miss the Mexican Cultural Institute's annual Day of the Dead Altar on Saturday, November 1st! This well-known community event is a quintessentially Mexican tradition and one of our most colorful displays of the year. This year's Day of the Dead Altar is dedicated to the life and work of Latin American literary giant Gabriel García Márquez.

Born in Colombia on March 6, 1927, writer, journalist, and humanist Gabriel García Márquez died on April 17, 2014 in Mexico City, where he lived for most of the last 50 years. The Nobel-laureate, who epitomized the magical realistic writing movement, wrote some of his best-known works in Mexico, including One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The opening event will take place on Saturday, November 1st from 12 to 4 pm and will remain open to visitors and school groups until November 7th during regular hours.

More information about the Mexican Cultural Institute of DC here. 

2. Celebrations, Demonstrations and hands-on activities begin at 10:30 am on Saturday, November 1st at the National Museum of the American Indian in DC. Events include demonstrations of barriletes gigantes (Guatemalan Kites), papel picado making demonstrations, and a book signing by author Sandra Cisneros on Sunday. More info about the celebration at the National Museum of the American Indian here.