Editing Ghost (section)

===Americas===

====Mexico====
[[File:Catrinas 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[La Calavera Catrina|Catrinas]], one of the most popular figures of the ''Day of the Dead'' celebrations in Mexico]]<!--

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There is extensive and varied belief in [[ghosts in Mexican culture]]. The modern state of [[Mexico]] before the [[Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire|Spanish conquest]] was inhabited by diverse peoples such as the [[Maya people|Maya]] and [[Aztec people|Aztec]], and their beliefs have survived and evolved, combined with the beliefs of the [[Spanish people|Spanish]] colonists. The [[Day of the Dead]] incorporates pre-Columbian beliefs with [[Christianity|Christian]] elements. Mexican literature and films include many stories of ghosts interacting with the living.

====United States====
{{Further|Ghosts of the American Civil War|Shadow people|Ghost hunting}}
According to the [[Gallup Poll|Gallup Poll News Service]], belief in haunted houses, ghosts, communication with the dead, and witches had an especially steep increase over the 1990s.<ref>Newport F, Strausberg M. 2001. "Americans' belief in psychic and paranormal phenomena is up over last decade", Gallup Poll News Service. 8 June<!--year?-->[https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l5 "Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding-Public Knowledge About S&T: Belief in Pseudoscience"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412093007/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind04/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l5 |date=April 12, 2010 }}, Chapter 7 of ''Science and Engineering Indicators 2004'', National Science Board, National Science Foundation; ''Science and Engineering Indicators 2006'', National Science Board, National Science Foundation.</ref> A 2005 Gallup poll found that about 32 percent of Americans believe in ghosts.<ref name=gallup>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/17275/onethird-americans-believe-dearly-may-departed.aspx |title=One-Third of Americans Believe Dearly May Not Have Departed |last=Lyons |first=Linda |date=July 12, 2005 |publisher=[[The Gallup Organization#Gallup Poll|Gallup Polls]] |access-date=2010-11-28 |archive-date=2010-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830223749/http://www.gallup.com/poll/17275/OneThird-Americans-Believe-Dearly-May-Departed.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>