Día de los Muertos Day of the Dead Mexico

Día de los Muertos A ritual that indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years before the arrival of the Spaniards. The Spaniards tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the ritual. It is a form of Mexican ancestor worship. Although the ritual was eventually brought into the Christian denomination of Catholicism , it still preserves the basic principles of the Aztec ritual.

Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations They not only kept skulls as trophies but displayed them during the ritual. The skulls symbolized death and rebirth. During the month long ritual, they believed the skulls honored the dead that would visit. They view death as the continuation of life. “The ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico believed that the souls of the dead returned each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry with their loved ones” (www.azcentral, 2010).

Aztec holiday The ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar The beginning of August The goddess Mictecacihuatl (pronounced meek-tay-cah-SEE-wah-tl) presided over the festivities. She was believed to have died at birth. She is known as the Lady of the Dead

The Spaniards Regarded the ritual as sacrilegious Identified the indigenous people to be pagan and barbaric Tried to convert them to Catholicism and kill the ritual To make it more Christian, they moved it to coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2)

In the present Celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America They clean the cemetery, wash the tombstones, and decorate gravesites with marigold (zempasúchil) flowers and candles. They make their loved ones’ favorite food and bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults . They have a procession to the cemetery on Nov. 1 at midnight. They sit on picnic blankets and eat the favorite food of their loved ones, next to their graves.

The making of specialty foods and candies Traditional foods such as pan de muerto (bread of the dead) , which can conceal a miniature skeleton/sugar skull The common shape of the bread is round and decorated with a cross in the shape of bones covered with sugar. Typical foods – bread, fruits vegetables, & sweets Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend Candied fruit & pumpkins, tamales & maize dough cakes, enchiladas & chalupas

Building of intricate and ornate altars Families build altars in their homes Surround these altars with flowers, food, and pictures of the deceased Lit candles are placed them next to the altar Play their favorite music Bread is always placed on the altar and can not be removed until the visit by the dead. People don wooden skull masks called calacas & place them on altars

November 1st and 2nd All Saints Day, November 1st – children remember toys and colorful balloons adorning their graves All Souls Day, November 2nd – adults who have died are honored with displays of the departed's favorite food, ornamental and personal belongings Both days are a national religious holiday.

Reference Day of the Dead history by Carlos Miller. (2010). October 4, 2010, from http://mexicolesstraveled.com/dead.htm Mexico’s day of the dead: A time for welcoming the spirits by Discovering the secrets of Mexico. (2010). Retrieved October 4, 2010, from http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html#ixzz13lCktBpW