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Many wonder about the true meaning of art in tombs. Do they all have the same meaning? Or does each culture have their own reason behind painting elaborate scenes on tomb walls that no one may ever see? This is a compilation of images from tombs in Egypt and Oaxaca, Mexico that relate to the specific afterlife beliefs of each respective culture. The Egyptian examples focus on what is needed to get into the afterlife and convincing the gods that an individual belongs. In contrast, the Oaxacan examples focus on convincing the ancestors to keep watch over the family after an individual is gone. There has not been much research on this topic before now, so this analysis should help anyone interested in learning about tomb art motifs. Also, it is hard to find any information on Oaxacan tomb art so hopefully this can be used as one source to help shed light on their particular culture.

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Valeri J. Madigan, BA: Studied Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. ATS Analyst at Merrill Lynch, Jacksonville, FL

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