"Día de muertos" in Oaxaca: Commodification and folklorization of cultural heritage

Abstract

This article analyzes the notion of cultural heritage due to its relevance to the materialization of cultural rights by States. Based on the contributions of anthropology and sociology, we establish a distinction between a way of conceiving cultural heritage focused on folklore and the demands of the tourist market and another of a more experiential nature that highlights the dynamism of culture, its symbolic character and the role of memory. To exemplify this distinction, we present some ideas that emerged from an ethnographic exercise and participant observation of the Día de muertos between November 01 to 03, 2018 and 2019, in two locations in the state of Oaxaca. Theoretical approaches and ethnographic contributions lead us to highlight the importance of having a broader conception of cultural heritage to prevent cultural rights from being reduced to folklore and commercial objects.