Día de Los Muertos in Mexico

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While staying in Mexico this fall, it was not Halloween decorations that caught my attention, but all the "Día de los Muertos" ornaments and face paintings, and most of all, the cakes. I received so many, in all sizes, that I could eat one every week until Christmas.

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In 2026, Día de los Muertos fell on Sunday, November 1 (Día de los Angelitos, honoring the children who have passed) and Monday, November 2 (Día de Muertos, honoring adults).

October 31, 2026: Great Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City (from Diana Cazadora 
to the Zócalo) and candlelit vigils begin in places like San Andrés Mixquic.
November 1, 2026, Día de los Angelitos: Dedicated to remembering infants and children.
November 2, 2026, Día de Muertos: The main day of remembrance for adults, highlighted by La Alumbrada (candlelight cemetery vigils) in communities nationwide.

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According to History.com, the holiday traces its earliest roots to the Aztecs what is now central Mexico. Aztecs used skulls to honor the dead for three thousand years before the "Día de Los Muertos" celebrations emerged. Although it is sometimes confused with Halloween because of the symbolic skulls, it is not related at all.

After the Conquest in the 16th century, the Catholic church moved Indigenous rituals honoring the dead, which were originally in the summer with an entire month dedicated to the dead, to times that coordinated with Catholic dates for All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November first and second. That’s how they came to be merged.

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            jiDía de Los Muertos came into being thanks to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the ‘Lady of the Dead.’ It’s said she watches over the bones of the dead and swallows the stars during the day. 

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Offerings for the dead consist of water, the loved one’s favorite food and drink, flowers (cempasúchil/marigolds) because of their intense color and strong smell to guide spirits back to the family altar), bread, alcohol, foods and other things that were important in the deceased’s life. Sometimes paths are strewn with cempasúchil petals so the souls can find their way home, guided by the strong smell.

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In Mexico, the inevitability of death is accepted rather than feared. At Día de Los Muertos, families come together to honor their ancestors. It’s an honoring of what that soul brought to the world. Though saddened, loved ones are also grateful for the shared time they had with the person. 

The skeletons central to the celebrations began in 19th-century Mexico City, when social activist and cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada created La Calavera Catrina (elegant skull), a well-dressed skeleton, as satire protesting the Mexican people’s desire to look European.

Drawing of La Calavera Garbancera, the original Calavera, 1910

Catrinas dance and sing; flowers, fruit and candy decorate altars. For two days, death’s morbid side is buried beneath music and memories. Today people dress up as La Catrina or paint their faces like skeletons as part of their Día de Los Muertos or Janal Pixán celebrations.

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The Nahua people of central Mexico believed the deceased traveled on a year-long journey to the land of the dead, or Chicunamictlán. The living would provide supplies, food and water to aid them during the trek, as shown in the movie Coco.

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In case you wondered about those lovely multi-colored paper banners, it’s papel picado. Thin and colorful paper is strung high to catch the wind—it represents the delicate nature of life.

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The sugar skulls, calaveras, are also essential. They’re decorative and given as treats.  Families gather to clean graves before the holiday, then on the day they eat and tell stories around the tomb. Ancestors are honored with a variety of foods and drinks: candy skulls or calaveras, pan de muerto, tamales and mole, pozole, tortilla soup, hot chocolate, atole and pulque to drink, and other beverages.

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Cemeteries take on a festive feel as relatives gather around the graves of loved ones with lit candles, music, storytelling and memories. It’s a beautiful time of year to visit Mexico. The ceremonies for departed souls are soulful and joyful.

Photographs of the departed are front and center, surrounded by all the trappings that the lost family member held dear in life. 

The Parade of Souls begins at the cemetery as the souls begin their journey. Hundreds of figures dressed in white, illuminated by candlelight, walk in silence, while prayers and the aroma of food waft through their path.

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Día de Los Muertos focuses on the connections that endure beyond death. It is a family time—for joy, laughter, remembrance, and appreciation of the preciousness of life. And for sure, it's a lifetime experience to be in Mexico during this time.

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