Día de los Muertos: Celebrating Life, Honoring the Dead

Dia de los Muertos has a long, rich history in Mexico, the southwestern United States, and Central America. However, most people outside these regions became familiar with the holiday only very recently through the beloved Pixar film Coco (2017). The movie’s colorful animation and star-studded cast brought the culture and traditions to vivid life, and the bittersweet storyline perfectly encapsulated the holiday’s deeper meaning. For all of these reasons, the film was received extremely well worldwide.

Coco was beloved by critics and audiences worldwide, grossing $71.2 million in its Thanksgiving opening in the U.S. and Canada. It became the highest-grossing Pixar film in China and the top-grossing movie ever in Mexico. Critics praised its thoughtful exploration of culture, family, life, and death, while audiences, mainly Mexican and Mexican-American viewers, appreciated its authentic portrayal of their traditions. The film was also lauded for its positive messages about family, unconditional love, and following one’s dreams.

Despite Coco’s unprecedented success and heartfelt messages, some misconceptions surrounding Dia de los Muertos persist. Many of these misunderstandings reflect a familiarity with the symbols of Dia de los Muertos but not with their true meaning. However, the most common mistake is the tendency to conflate Dia de los Muertos with its more Anglo-centric counterpart, Halloween.

Halloween & Dia de los Muertos: Different Branches of the Same Spiritual Tree

Día de los Muertos is often associated with Halloween, a holiday celebrated primarily on October 31st in the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the English-speaking world and Western Europe. The truth is, however, that Dia de los Muertos is far from simply a Hispanic version of its Anglo counterpart. While the two holidays do have some commonalities and similar origins, the key difference between them is one of perspective and, therefore, the spirit (no pun intended) they take on.

Halloween and Día de los Muertos began with a similar significance, to honor the dead. Halloween traces its roots back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which observed the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, a time highly associated with death. As such, the Celts believed that the boundary between the living and the dead was blurred on this night, and spirits could return to earth. Later, with the spread of Christianity, this tradition blended with All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). Día de los Muertos also aligns with these same Catholic holidays but came to do so through a different path.

Unlike the Celtic foundations of Halloween, Día de los Muertos has its roots in Indigenous Mesoamerican traditions, particularly those of the Aztecs and their Nahua neighbors from Central Mexico, who believed that the dead continued their existence in another world; , or “the Land of the Dead.” The journey was believed to take years, and involved 9 separate “levels” (for lack of a better term). For up to 3,000 years, these Mesoamerican cultures held annual rituals to honor their ancestors. This took place sometime in late summer and is believed to have lasted several weeks. When the Spanish colonized Mexico, these pre-Hispanic beliefs merged with Catholic practices, moving the celebration to early November to align with the Catholic observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Halloween absorbed traditions from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and North America as it developed into what it is today. As such, it became a holiday focused mainly on costumes and spooky imagery. Meanwhile, Día de los Muertos remained more faithful to its roots, retaining a focus on remembrance and the celebration of the lives of the deceased.

Both holidays reflect a deep cultural need to acknowledge the cycle of life and death, but they do so in distinctly different ways. Halloween plays with and even pokes fun at humanity’s fears surrounding death. Dia de los Muertos, on the other hand, emphasizes remembrance and the joyful celebration of life. The spirits are not to be feared but are welcomed back with laughter, love, and cherished memories. The holiday serves as a reminder that death is not something to be dreaded but rather embraced as part of the natural cycle.

Core Rituals & Symbolism: The Ofrenda

Monarch butterflies, which migrate to Mexico around this time of year, are thought to carry the spirits of the dead back to their loved ones. On the festival’s first day, it is believed that the spirits of children, known as angelitos (little angels), return to be with their families. The following day is dedicated to the souls of adults. Families welcome their ancestors and loved ones back, honoring their memories with temporary but elaborate shrines to passed loved ones known as ofrendas (altars).

A central feature of Día de los Muertos, ofrendas are adorned with personal mementos, photos of the deceased, and symbolic offerings representing the four elements. Earth is symbolized by pan de muerto, a sweet bread made with anise, orange peel, and an orange glaze adorned with bone-shaped decorations. This delicious delicacy is baked specifically for the occasion and represents the family’s generosity. Wind is represented by delicate, colorful paper banners with intricate cut-out designs, known as papel picado. Fire is presented by the candles, which act as a lighthouse to guide the spirits back to the land of the living. Finally, Water is provided to quench the spirits’ thirst, as one might provide for someone who just crossed a desert.

Other traditional adornments of the ofrenda include decorating gravesites with marigolds, known as cempasúchitl. Like the candles, the vivid yellow-orange hue of these flowers is believed to help guide spirits to their families’ altars. Incense burns on many ofrendas, serving as both a symbol of the journey between life and death and also to ward off evil spirits. Photos of those remembered are featured when available. Finally, leaving gifts, such as the departed’s favorite foods or traditional delicacies specific to the Holiday, is also common practice.

Cuisine, Poetry, & Skulls

Food plays a central role in Día de los Muertos celebrations, both on the ofrenda and in the dining room, with families preparing and sharing traditional dishes. The most popular is perhaps the aforementioned pan de muerto, but tamales, atole, calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin), and spicy Mexican hot chocolate also have pride of place on alters and tables.

Perhaps the most commonly recognized feature of the holiday is the visual representations of skulls, or “Calaveras,” which seem to be everywhere during Dia de los Muertos. Far from a symbol of death, the skull becomes an emblem of life, memory, and continuity.

Sugar skulls are a standard feature on tables and ofrendas. These iconic decorative foods are formed from a wet sugar paste and left to dry and solidify. They are then brightly decorated and can typically be found on any ofrenda. Usually, these are crafted to represent departed loved ones, often with the deceased’s name etched onto it to avoid confusion.

Beyond the home, Skull motifs are also commonly worn as face paint by performers and spectators alike during public festivities.

The use of skull imagery in Día de los Muertos owes much to the work of Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, particularly his iconic depiction of La Calavera Catrina, a skeleton woman dressed in an elegant, feathered hat. Posada’s skull-themed illustrations served as sharp critiques of the social and political landscape during his life (1852-1913), and he often used humor to expose societal norms and class disparities. His satirical drawings illustrated the universal egalitarianism of mortality. The main point is that all people, regardless of their wealth or social status, were ultimately united by the inevitability of death. Following Posada’s death in 1913, his signature calaveras style became the central symbol of Día de los Muertos, with La Catrina—originally called La Calavera Garbancera—serving as a satirical portrayal of those who rejected their Mexican heritage to imitate the European upper class.

Posada is also somewhat responsible for popularizing “Calaveras literarias” or “Skull Poetry,” which adds a lighthearted, humorous element to the holiday. These short, irreverent, satirical poems were inspired by cheeky epitaphs for deceased public figures of questionable repute that once appeared alongside Posada’s satirical illustrations. Living friends now commonly compose these poetic roasts to poke good-natured fun at their dead companions. Ultimately, these irreverent memorials remind us not to take life or death too seriously.

The use of skull imagery in Día de los Muertos owes much to the work of Mexican artist José Guadalupe PosadaEvolving Traditions

In the United States, Día de los Muertos altars have moved beyond private, household spaces into the public sphere, with museums, art galleries, community centers, and schools creating their own altars for the holiday. This shift began with the Chicano Movement, which expanded the tradition’s reach, transforming it from a family practice into a broader community celebration of cultural heritage and ancestral roots across the Americas. Public altars now honor influential Chicano and Mexican figures, especially those who have impacted Latino communities in California.

Today, Día de los Muertos has become an urban art movement that strengthens community bonds. The first documented Day of the Dead events in San Francisco date back to the early 1970s, with La Galería de la Raza hosting an inaugural altar exhibit organized by René Yañez and Ralph Maradiaga. Yañez, a key artist and curator, played a significant role in integrating Día de los Muertos into the city’s major celebrations, elevating altars to the level of art installations while preserving the tradition’s cultural roots.

Regardless of how the holiday may evolve, Día de los Muertos remains true to its mission. It continues to offer families a chance to honor those who have passed and reflect on the beauty of life itself. It is a time of both remembrance and celebration, a ritual rooted in Mexico’s Indigenous and Catholic traditions that speaks to a universal desire to keep the memories of loved ones alive. In honoring the dead, Día de los Muertos reminds us that love endures beyond the grave and that death is simply another part of the greater journey that we all must make.