Día de los Muertos [Day of the Dead] is a cultural tradition predominantly celebrated in Mexico and Central America as well as recently by Latinos in the United States. Ever evolving, the tradition’s contemporary practitioners continue to reshape and redefine this ancient ritual of remembrance.
At the heart of the tradition is a joyful celebration of life both those in the present and those in past. It is one of many cultural traditions that honors and remembers the dead- this one through a Mesoamerican lens.
Today, the Día de los Muertos celebration stands as an example of the cultural fusion that took place following the conquest of the Americas, and the resilience of indigenous people to retain and adapt their sacred beliefs amidst a new western presence. Día de los Muertos reflects pre-Columbian beliefs in an immortal soul, an afterlife, and a perspective that death and life are not two independent and isolated states.
Celebrated at the end of October into November (exact dates vary from region to region), Día de los Muertos ideology and iconography have influenced countless Mexican, Chicano, and Latinx artists and art.
For more information about Día de los Muertos celebration, please visit the following online resources:
- Smithsonian Latino Center- Day of the Dead:Find information about the customs and beliefs of this tradition, resources for teachers, instruction on how to make an altar and more.
- Day of the Dead animated short: An animated short film about a little girl who visits the land of the dead, where she learns the true meaning of Día de los Muerto created Ashley Graham and Kate Reynolds.
- What’s El Día de los Muertos? It’s Not Scary, and It’s Not Halloween: Read about the differences between Día de los Muertos and Halloween.
Calaveras/Sugar Skulls. Photo by gwen.
What is Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead?
Día de los Muertos is one many cultural traditions that honors and remembers the dead- this one through a Mesoamerican lens. During this celebration, it is believed that the almas [soul/spirit] of the dead are allowed to return home to visit with their living family or friends during the length of the celebration. This is a joyful time of festivity, prayer, and celebration, as the deceased return to visit with the people that fondly remember them.
Ofrenda/Altar in Ocotepec, Mexico. Photo by Rainy City.
In preparation for the return of those departed, family and friends prepare ofrendas [altars] to welcome their loved ones home from the long journey back to the land of the living. The holiday also coincides with the bountiful time of harvest. Aromatic foods like corn and fruit, favorite dishes, water, and salt, are placed as an offering to the dead, who are believed to partake in the meal set for them on the altar. Calaveras [stylized skeletons] are also used to decorate ofrendas, candy (i.e. sugar skulls), bread, streamers, papel picado [paper cut-outs], figurines, candles, and masks.
Ofrendas are built in cemeteries on the graves of the dead and/or in homes. They are decorated with photographs, along with personal items or articles that share information about the deceased. This includes items that humorously portray the vices of those departed (i.e. cigarettes or tequila bottle). These altars serve to share with children the stories of past ancestors and family members. Cempasuchil, a bright marigold native to Mexico, is used to decorate altars and make visible footpaths that guide the dead home.
Calaveras [stylized skeletons] are used to decorate ofrendas, candy (i.e. sugar skulls), bread, streamers, figurines, and masks. Calaveras are not meant to be morbid, dark, or overly mystical, but rather a playful and satirical view of death that accepts a human being’s inevitable mortality, as well as the presence of the dead during the celebration. As a metaphor, the calavera playfully imitates scenes of everyday life to remind us not to take life too seriously. The calveras represent death as the great equalizer of life that does not discriminate based on socio-economic hierarchy or other inequalities endured while living.
Cempasuchil [marigolds] flowers. Image by Meesh Rheault Miller.