One of the top celebrations we are eagerly waiting every year is the Dia de Muertos (Day fo the Dead), this is the time of the year when the dead return to Earth to visit their loved ones. This iconic holiday is a colorful celebration of death throughout Mexico and Coyoacán is not the exception.
The Day of the Dead or Dia de Muertos is an ever-evolving holiday that traces its earliest roots to the Aztec people in what is now central Mexico. The Aztecs used skulls to honor the dead a millennium before the Day of the Dead celebrations emerged. Skulls, like the ones once placed on Aztec temples, remain a key symbol in a tradition that has continued for more than six centuries in the annual celebration to honor and commune with those who have passed on.
Once the Spanish conquered the Aztec empire in the 16th century, the Catholic Church moved indigenous celebrations and rituals honoring the dead throughout the year to the Catholic dates commemorating All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 1 and 2. In what became known as Día de Muertos on November 2, the Latin American indigenous traditions and symbols to honor the dead fused with non-official Catholic practices and notions of an afterlife. The same happened on November 1 to honor children who had died.
In these ceremonies, people build altars in their homes with ofrendas, offerings to their loved ones’ souls. Candles light photos of the deceased and items left behind. Families read letters and poems and tell anecdotes and jokes about the dead. Offerings of tamales, chiles, water, tequila and pan de muerto, a specific bread for the occasion, are lined up by bright orange or yellow cempasúchil flowers, marigolds, whose strong scent helps guide the souls home.
In Mexico, families clean the graves at cemeteries, preparing for the spirit to come. On the night of November 2, they take food to the cemetery to attract the spirits and to share in a community celebration. Bands perform and people dance to please the visiting souls.
This year the Day of the Dead celebration in the beautiful Coyoacán will be from the 29th of October to the 6th of November, so get ready to enjoy the gastronomy, music, parades surrounded with beautiful yellow and orange cempauchil flowers, magnificent altars and decorations to live and experience this incredible Mexican tradition.
We will keep you posted with the full agenda of all Day fo the Dead events shortly!
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