Doctors and Medical Staff Should Be Aware of the Following:

•  Latinos generally are against cremation.

• They want to be with family members in dying moments.

• They want a priest accessible to give their loved ones their Last Rites.

• They think that a doctor should never tell a patient he/she is dying because it annihilates hope and brings bad luck;  they would prefer not to know (Espino,122).

Celebrating Death

After a loved one has passed on, they are in no manner forgotten.  The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on November 2nd, when Mexican families spend time at the cemetery, visiting the graves of their relatives, cleaning and painting the headstones, arranging flowers, and lighting candles.   Mexican families spend time constructing special home alters dedicated to the spirits of their deceased loved ones.  The alters are usually filled with objects that the departed person enjoyed during their life, such as food, drinks, toys, candies, and sweets.  The altars or "ofrendas" usually contain objects made from sugar or sugar sculpture, known as "alfenique."  Sometimes the sugar is poured into a mold, and combined with boiling water and clay to create a skull.  The skulls are decorated with paper foil for eyes and icing for hair.  Names can be added to the skulls and Mexican children exchange skulls with friends.  Obviously, the Latinos have a strong belief in life after death and that it is possible to communicate with the dead (Hudson, 69). [