Traditional Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Altar

The tradition of Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico, the southwestern U.S. and parts of Latin America. During this celebration, families come together to pay respect to relatives who have died and celebrate their life and rebirth to another world. Anthropologists and historians say that the holiday is a blend of the Catholic All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days and pre-Columbian traditions that honored ancestors in a celebration of the dead. The tradition is generally celebrated with the creation of ofrenda (altars) to the dead, featuring food, paper decorations and representations of skeletons.

Though celebrated all over Latin America, Día de los Muertos is celebrated most extravagantly in Mexico. This occasion is a time to remember loved ones and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. On November 1, El Día de los Angelitos, the souls of children are believed to come back to earth, while the souls of adults return on November 2.

While most are unaccustomed to seeing death and festivities intertwined, in this tradition the two are intricately linked. The ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives to eat, drink and be merry. Therefore, Mexicans react to death with mourning along with happiness and joy. They view death with the same fear as any other culture, but confront their fear by mocking and living alongside death – death is laughed at in its face. El Día de los Muertos is not a carefree or fearless confrontation of death, but a moment to reflect upon one’s life and the cycle of life and death.

During this celebration, families make altars where ofrendas (offerings) are placed. Items found on an altar include foods or pan de muertos (bread of the dead) baked in the shape of skulls and figures, as well as candles, incense, cempazuchitl (yellow marigolds) and most importantly a photo of the departed soul.

El Día de Los Muertos Altar is presented in partnership with the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University.

About Cynthia Ramirez

Cynthia Ramirez is an Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Southern University of New Orleans and an internationally acclaimed folk artist, particularly known for her pieces, which relate to the Day of the Dead. Ramirez art has been exhibited throughout New Orleans and around the world. In New Orleans, her work has been shown at Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Stella Jones Gallery, the Louisiana State Museum and at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.