This book is the first social, cultural and political history of death in a country that has made death into a proprietary symbol. Through an examination of the history of the symbolism of death, this innovative study is a landmark in the comprehension of the unique, rich usage which Mexico has made of the image of death. Unlike contemporary Europeans and North Americans, whose denial of death is deeply imbedded in their cultures, Mexico cultivates a good-humored familiarity with death that has made death a cornerstone of the country's national identity.