ABSTRACT
The term memorial culture evokes a range of associations across historical periods and geographic spaces. Memorialization is an act that may be practiced in many forms, be it monumental or ceremonial, secular or religious; human societies demonstrate an enduring desire to commemorate those events and individuals they consider most significant. In the United States, the desire to memorialize the American Revolution corresponded with the period in which the generation of veterans and citizens of the Revolutionary period were nearing the ends of their lives. Both Mexico and Peru prove interesting cases in terms of memorializing national figures because of their large mestizo and Indigenous populations. Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay all report Indigenous populations of less than 5 percent of the general populations. Monuments and memorials, which were meant to make material and permanent our respective histories, have resulted in a remarkably dynamic element of our various national cultures.
