Día de Los Muertos in Mexico: A Visual Guide

Day of the Dead is about the profound connection between the living and the departed. This connection is manifested through the use of iconic elements, from the traditional sugar skulls to elaborate altars. Locals and tourists alike are not only drawn by the aesthetic appeal of the celebration, but by the deep meaning behind every trinket that adorns traditional ofrendas and the graves at local cemeteries.

The ofrenda represents the most intimate side of Dia de los Muertos. Setting up the altars and keeping them neat throughout the celebrations is an important ritual that takes place in many Mexican households.
 

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Ofrendas usually include traditional elements like sugar skulls, food, water, candles, papel picado, and cempasuchil flowers. These elements and the whole architecture of the altar vary depending on the region.
 

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Monumental public ofrendas are common around Mexico. These elaborate displays are usually thematic and dedicated to personalities or to a specific group of people. Pictured above a monumental ofrenda of the Coyoacan Municipality in Mexico City. This altar is dedicated to artists who lived in the neighborhood.
 

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Ofrendas vary depending on the traditions and products typical of each Mexican region. This ofrenda from Oaxaca includes local elements like mezcal, chocolate, and reganadas, the local variation of pan de muerto.
 

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Catholic symbols are common in more traditional ofrendas as religion is a very important aspect of the celebration. Flower arches like the one in the picture are very characteristic in regions with an important indigenous identity like Oaxaca and Michoacan.
 

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Ofrendas are the heart of Day of the dead celebrations across Mexico, serving as the central element through which families honor and remember their loved ones. These altars, adorned with photographs, food, candles, flowers, and personal mementos, are believed to guide the souls of the departed back to the world of the living.

Cempasuchil flowers give Mexico a distinctive hue from the beginning of October. It's name comes form the nahuatl cempohualxochitl, meaning "20 flowers" or "many flowers."
 

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The production of cempasuchil flowers starts earlier in the year all across Central Mexico. The picture shows a farmer in one of the many flower nurseries in Xochimilco, an agriculture-centered region in the south of Mexico City.
 

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Flowers arrive by the thousands to a market in Atlixco, Puebla. This is a usual sight in many Mexican markets during the weeks preceding Dia de los Muertos.
 

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Cempasuchil flowers are used to adorn cemeteries, gardens, and public plazas. The purple flower in the picture, called terciopelo or velvet flower, is also typical of Dia de los Muertos celebrations.
 

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Cempasuchil is an essential part of ofrendas. Some people use its petals to decorate the altar or to elaborate a path that goes from the house entrance to the ofrenda. They can also be placed as bouquets or used in the elaboration of flower arches.
 

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Vibrant cempasúchil flowers (the local name for native marigolds) are one of the most characteristic elements of the ofrenda. The flower’s use dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when the Aztecs associated it with the sun and the afterlife. The use of marigolds in spiritual celebrations is not exclusive to Mexico: in Hindu traditions, marigolds are offered to deities during festivals like Diwali.

Pan de muerto is a mandatory element in the ofrenda. However, this delicious bread is also enjoyed on a regular basis by Mexican families during the season.
 

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Pictured here is the most traditional pan de muerto in two varieties: Covered in sugar and covered in sesame seeds. The first one is usually flavored with orange blossoms and the other with aniseed.
 

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Golletes are a local variety of pan de muerto from Puebla and Estado de Mexico. A piece of sugar cane is inserted in the center hole and placed in the ofrenda. Some people think this represents a tzompantli, the sacrificial altar associated with the Aztecs.
 

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Pan de muerto in Oaxaca takes the form of regañadas. This festive take on the traditional pan de yema distinguishes itself by the little faces protruding out of the crust which represent the departed.
 

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Animas or Muertes are traditional in some regions of Morelos, Estado de Mexico, and Michoacan. The bread has human form and represents a deceased person. Adults are represented by breads with a hint of pink sugar (like the one in the picture). A bread completely covered in white sugar is used to represent children.
 

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Of course, no celebration in Mexico comes without delicious traditional food. Pan de muerto (bread of the dead) is essential to Día de los Muertos festivities. There are several kinds of pan de muerto, but the most traditional one is a round piece of bread with bone-shaped pieces of dough on top.

Sugar skulls, or calaveritas, are beautiful pieces of confectionary produced by a technique known as alfeniques. This sweet, inherited from Islamic Spain, is produced by mixing sugar, lemon, and vegetable colors and emulsifiers to form a paste that can later be shaped into multiple forms.
 

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Alfeniques are not only shaped into calaveras (sugar skulls). These sugar miniatures of traditional dishes are sometimes placed in ofrendas to represent food and beverages. The city of Toluca is famous for its alfeniques production and even holds a popular festival before Dia de los Muertos where local confectioners sell their unique creations.
 

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Small sugar skulls are usually placed in the ofrenda to represent children. However, nowadays the number and size of the sugar skulls in each ofranda is more a matter of budget and personal preference.
 

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Big sugar skulls like these ones are heavily ornamented and can be quite expensive. Markets in Mexico offer a wide variety of sugar skulls to accomodate to the needs of every customer.
 

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Calaveritas of different materials can be found in local markets around Mexico. Amaranth, jelly, and chocolate calaveritas (pictured above) are the most common varieties. These calaveritas are usually consumed as sweets but can also be placed in the ofrenda.
 

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The colorful sugar skulls found in every ofrenda are not mere visual trinkets. Each of these flavorful calaveras are meant to represent a specific person to whom the altar is dedicated. Sugar is the most traditional material, but calaveras made of amaranth, chocolate, and other sweets can be found in every Mexican market.

The use of makeup and costumes traditionally associated with Halloween have permeated into Dia de los Muertos festivities all around Mexico. Both festivities have borrowed elements from each other and the ubiquitous presence of the Catrina is a clear proof of it.
 

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Catrinas represent death in a playful but respectful manner. Each interpretation of the Catrina is unique and creativity plays an important role in choosing the right elements for the costume.
 

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The Catrina makeup is usually mistaken for a sugar skull due to its colors and intricate patterns.
 

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Dressing up as Catrinas can be used to exalt the cultural identity or inheritance of people wearing the costume. It is also a ritual families can share to partake of certain events during Día de los Muertos celebrations.
 

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In Mexico City, a huge procession of Catrinas has become a yearly tradition where thousands of people participate with their best outfits.
 

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Catrinas have been an important part of the festivities in Oaxaca for a long time. Las Muertadas, street festivals that combine music, dance, and local folklor, have seen Catrinas on parade long before they were trending.
 

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Originally based on a popular character designed by José Guadalupe Posada more than a hundred years ago, Catrinas are now one of the most renown symbols of Day of the Dead worldwide. Dressing up as a Catrina is now a usual way for people to participate in Día de los Muertos events all around Mexico.

Paseo de las Animas, or Walk of the Souls, is a traditional event that takes place in the city of Merida, Yucatan. This procession attracts a great amount of tourists, but it's also centered in the Mayan traditions of Hanal Pixan, the local take on Dia de los Muertos.
 

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A small Dia de los Muertos procession going from the local church to the cemetery in San Gregorio Atlapulco, Estado de Mexico. People are carrying the offerings they'll use in the cemetery altars. This is more representative of how Día de los Muertos is celebrated outside the major tourism centers.
 

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Processions can also be festive and noisy. Pictured above is the town of Reyes Etla, Oaxaca, during the Dia de los Muertos festivities. The crowd is wearing a mix of Halloween masks and local festive elements, a common sight around Mexico.
 

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In big cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, and Aguascalientes, processions can take a more relaxed tone. These Dia de los Muertos street parties showcase people wearing their best costumes and leave the spiritual aspects of the celebration on the side.
 

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Día de los Muertos processions in Mexico are solemn yet celebratory events where communities walk together to cemeteries, carrying candles, flowers, and offerings to honor their deceased loved ones. These processions are marked by a sense of reverence and often culminate in overnight vigils at cemeteries. More tourism-friendly processions —like Mexico City’s Procesión de Catrinas— have been a common occurrence in recent years.

Vigils are one of the most traditional elements of Dia de los Muertos. This is a bittersweet event of remembrance that makes us confront our own mortality and honor those who have passed away.
 

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Preparations for Dia de los Muertos start days or weeks before the official celebration. Here, a man is repairing a damaged grave in the Municipal Cemetery of Cancun.
 

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Mixquic, in the southern end of Mexico City, is a small town famous for its Dia de los Muertos vigil. Not a single grave of the local cemetery is left behind from the celebration.
 

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The Tzintzuntzan Cemetery in Michoacan is famous for its Dia de los Muertos festivities. Tzintzuntzan is just one of many small towns on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro where Día de los Muertos displays attract tourists by the thousands.
 

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The Xoxocotlan cemetery in Oaxaca fully lit up for Dia de los Muertos. Note that there is a stage with live music just a few feet next to the graves. These contrasts between the sacred and the mundane are very common during the celebrations.
 

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Candlelit vigils, or alumbradas, are popular events where people gather in their local cemeteries to celebrate Día de los Muertos with their dearly departed. Preparations start days before by cleaning the cemeteries, decorating graves with cempasúchil flowers, papel picado (paper with intricate cut designs), photos, and candles. During the first two nights of November, cemeteries come to life with live music, the light of countless candles, and the fuss of thousands — tourists and locals alike — in a celebration of life and remembrance.

The Day of the Dead parade is a massive event that congregates millions of people in Mexico City.
 

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Some of the props and floats used on the parade were inherited from the production of the James Bond movie, Spectre. Some other have been manufactured by Mexican artisans over the years.
 

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The parade can be understood as a celebration of Mexican identity with a Dia de los Muertos theme. It is visually stunning and thousands of people participate in its production.
 

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The 2024 Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City will be happening on October 27. Both Paseo de la Reforma and the streets of Centro Historico are good spots to catch a glimpse of the event.
 

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Mexico City's parade might be the largest, but it's not the only one. Similar events occur in the streets of Puebla, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Atlixco, and other major cities around Mexico.
 

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Parades are the most recent inclusion to the repertoire of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico. The now traditional Mexico City parade started less than a decade ago after the release of Spectre, the James Bond movie that features a Día de los Muertos celebration in the opening scene. The event is an impressive display of Día de los Muertos symbolism and Mexican folklore, but it lacks the depth and spirituality of other celebrations. Día de los Muertos parades also take places in cities like Puebla, Guadalajara, and Aguscalientes.

A parade with Zapotec motifs highlights the blend of ancient indigenous traditions and modern Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Oaxaca.
 

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Muertadas are street parties full of dance and music. These events reflect the lively spirit typical of Oaxaca and the community focused nature of its festivities.
 

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People from Oaxaca have a creative vein that's hard to find elsewhere. This creativity can be experienced both in big cities and small towns around the state.
 

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Muertadas are similar to calendas. These are community parties held for religious or civic events in most regions of Oaxaca.
 

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Vigils are also traditionally held in cemeteries around Oaxaca. This ritual of reverence and reflection contrasts with the bustling nature of streets and plazas around Oaxaca.
 

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Oaxaca holds one of the most vibrant and culturally rich Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico. The deep connections to indigenous Zapotec and Mixtec traditions and the artistic expressions characteristic of the region combine to make one of the most unique, traditional, and visually appealing Día de los Muertos experiences.

Dia de los Muertos in the lake region of Michoacan is deeply rooted in ancient Purepecha traditions. The careful and exhaustive decoration of cemeteries is one of the highlights of the festivities.
 

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Cemeteries in most small towns on the shore and islands of Lake Patzcuaro receive thousands of visitors each year. Despite the touristic importance of the event, people of the region have maintained a more intimate and less commercial atmosphere than other Dia de los Muertos celebrations around Mexico.
 

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The central event is the nighttime vigil in local cemeteries. Towns like Tzintzuntzan, Patzcuaro, and Janitzio transform their cemeteries into a glowing sea of cempasuchil and candlelights.
 

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The cemeteries of the region maintain an otherwordly vibe even during daytime.
 

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The Purepecha people of Michoacan hold a deep belief that the souls of the dead come back to Earth as butterflies. Day of the Dead coincides with the annual migration of monarch butterflies to the local forests, creating a profound connection between nature and the spiritual world. Día de los Muertos celebrations in Michoacan occur in the region of Lake Patzcuaro, especially in Janitzio Island and in the Purepecha town of Tzintzuntzan.

Some people believe the word Mixquic comes from the Nahuatl word "miquiztli," meaning death. Mixquic could then be understood as "The Place of Death."
 

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The Day of the Death celebrations in Mixquic are very different from other parts of Mexico City. The Alumbrada in the local cemetery and the deep connection to Catholicism are key elements of the celebration and give it a more ritualistic and authentic feel.
 

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The "Call of the Death" is a ritual unique to Mixquic. It consists of a procession where women of the community dressed in white show the death their way back to the cemetery during the night of November 2. The church bells and fireworks accompany the otherworldly procession.
 

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Mixquic is the place many people visit in their search for an authentic Dia de los Muertos experience near Mexico City. Despite the crowds of tourists, Mixquic has maintained a community oriented celebration free of foreign elements and deeply rooted in tradition.
 

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Mixquic maintains a very religious and spiritual approach to Día de los Muertos with its local cemetery playing a central role in the celebrations. The all-night vigil that takes place in Mixquic is one of the best recognized Día de los Muertos events in Mexico, and it greatly contrasts with more tourism-oriented events in Mexico City.

The syncretism of pre-Hispanic, Catholic, and modern elements in Xantolo is unique. What could be mistaken by a Halloween procession is actually part of the Dance of the Huehues, or Dance of the Old Ones, a ritual celebration that represents the ancestral spirits coming back to the communities. People who participate in this and other Xantolo-specific performances, commit to do so for several years.
 

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Processions are essential to the celebration of Xantolo. Communities gather on a street party joined by masked characters on their way to the cemetery. Xantolo processions are religious focused, but also very festive.
 

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The indigenous nature of Xantolo celebrations are evident from the different rituals that take place. Here, a group of men perform the ritual dance of the flying men in San Luis Potosi.
 

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Xantolo is both a religious and a civic festival. One of the main events of Xantolo is a gathering at the local cemeteries to celebrate the Cambio de Fiscal. This is a very important event where the management of the cemetery is awarded to a certain person in the community.
 

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The indigenous communities of La Huasteca — a region in Central Mexico that spans through San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Hidalgo, and Tamaulipas — celebrate Xantolo. This is a community celebration of Nahua and Teenek origins with specific rituals that set it apart from other Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico. One of its most recognizable aspects is the dance of the huehues, a ritualistic dance where people in wooden masks roam through their neighborhood in search of offerings.