Calaveras Literarias workshop for the Day of the Dead
(10/30/2024)
NAU students and community members joined in a stamp-printing workshop honoring the Mexican tradition of printmaking known as “calaveras literarias” (literary skeletons), as part of the Day of the Dead celebrations. The workshop, led by Ivan Pacheco (Cline Library) and Dr. Iuri Bauler Pereira (History/GLC), was held on October 30 at the MakerLab with support from the History Department and the Latin American Studies minor. Local printmaker Ivan Pacheco presented a lecture about the history of the “calaveras” (satirical obituaries in verse printed as broadsides and decorated with skeletal images, used to criticize politicians and social mores), the trajectory of the artist José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), and the influence of his art today.
During the workshop, Mr. Pacheco instructed the attendees on basic techniques of stamp-printing and Dr. Bauler Pereira guided the participants in creating satirical obituaries in verse inspired by current events and the writings of Posada. Several of the stamps used in the workshop were carved by students enrolled in Dr. Bauler Pereira’s Introduction to Latin American Studies course, who also created their own calaverasas an assignment for class. In total, over 50 calaveras literarias were created and exhibited at Cline Library during the Day of the Dead week. The workshop aimed to provide a creative and hands-on engagement with the cultural history of Latin America, highlight an important Mexican artist, and foster cultural understanding among the academic community.
