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 | NEWS PITCH: Cal State L.A. Halloween Festivity and Story Los Angeles, CA - Prepare for a spine-tingling story from a real-life "Indiana Jones" and a traditional celebration of the dead this Halloween season at California State University, Los Angeles. Cal State L.A.'s anthropology faculty member James Brady, our own "Indiana Jones," will be available for media interviews regarding his latest archaeological research as well as his previous discovery of "The Cave of the Glowing Skulls." Brady, a specialist in Maya cave archaeology, has been recognized for leading the scientific investigation of Cueva del Rio Talgua (Cave of the River Talgua), where he found a remote burial chamber with skeletal remains of perhaps 100 to 200 individuals. The skulls and bones sparkled with tiny calcium crystals from the limestone cave, thus inspiring the site's nickname, "The Cave of the Glowing Skulls." Brady, an assistant professor of Anthropology at Cal State L.A., earned his B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley; M.A. in Anthropology from Cal State L.A.; and Ph.D. in Archaeology from UCLA. He has taught at George Washington University. Part of the Halloween festivities at Cal State L.A., Dia de los Muertos, the traditional Mexican day of the dead, will be taking place on Tuesday, November 2, at the University-Student Union Free Speech Area. This cultural program, sponsored by the Chicano/Latino Student Resource Center, will include altars and performances that celebrate the circle of life by honoring those who have passed on. Altars will be on display throughout the day, and performances will be held from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Dia de los Muertos, as practiced in the United States, has been known to reflect the merger of ancient pre-Hispanic beliefs about life and death with Spanish Catholic influences, which introduced All Saints Day and All Souls Day after the Spanish Conquest. For interviews with James Brady, call the Cal State L.A. Public Affairs Office at (323) 343-3050, and for more information on Dia de los Muertos, call the Cal State L.A. Cross Cultural Centers at (323) 343-5247.
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