Denis Defibaugh

Day of the Dead by Denis Defibaugh with photography by Ward Albro is more than a coffee table book. It is a series of journalistic anthropological photo essays on the Oaxaca region of Mexico and its peoples in relation to the celebration of Day of the Dead, of which the quality is more fine art-oriented than strictly academic. The book goes into great detail about the traditions of the Zapotec people and how those traditions intermingle with contemporary Mexican culture. For example, it tells of traditional Zapotec Day of the Dead shrines which pay tribute to AIDS victims and battered women, elevating a tradition from the past that is often caricatured by those who wish to make money from tourists to stand for a contemporary political cause. The photographs, especially the night photography is beautiful, and the use of blur with low light causes a wonderful hallucinatory effect with some of the brighter colors. The book also goes into how youth culture celebrates the Day of the Dead, showing "moshers" celebrating with music. On the whole, Defibaugh and Albro's book is comprehensive and though anthropological, does not talk down to the Zapotec people or regard them as "other." Personally, I would love to share this in the classroom with high school students who would be interested in the tradition or with anyone purely for the beauty of the photographs.… (altro)