What if death was not the last destination, but just an exit on a larger cosmic freeway? This is the way many Mexicans have programmed their philosophical GPS systems, and their Dia de los Muertos—or Day of the Dead—holiday, celebrated each autumn, is the result.

Since pre-Columbian times, the people of Mexico have honored their dead in a singular fashion.  Every year, families gather to build altars, make offerings, and pass the night in the cemetery visiting the souls of deceased loved ones.  They believe that, once a year, the souls of loved ones cross the river that divides the dead and the living, returning to earth just for November 1 (dedicated to the angelitos, the souls of lost children) and November 2.  People spend Day of the Dead celebrating and remembering those who have gone.  These customs spring from the Mesoamerican belief that life is a dream, and that only in death do we truly awaken.

What may strike an outsider as odd, but is perfectly natural here, is that humor plays a significant role in the proceedings.  Artisans make tiny wooden coffins with skeletons that pop out, or model clay skeleton figures (called calaveras) in mocking imitation of people at work at their various jobs.  Those who spend the rest of the year patting tortillas or forming tamales try their hands at creating skulls made of sugar, adorned with glittery beads, or baking loaves of bread of the dead, with strips of dough or meringue representing bones and sometimes clay ornaments of skulls or saints baked within.  In Mexico City, bakery windows are filled with sweet skulls, marzipan death figures, and satirical verses about life and death.

photo by Paul and JillDay of the Dead altars can be elaborate affairs that fill a cemetery plot with archways of flowers, rows of lit candles, pyramids of bread, and the voices of family members.  Or they can be a small, private ofrenda, an offering, set up in the home, on a table in the corner.  People use decorative fabric to cover the table and then lay out various items to guide the souls to the ofrenda.  Some people line the pathway from the front door to the altar with flower blossoms and burn copal incense in hopes that the petals and smoke will attract the attention of the souls.  In many towns, public altars are a common practice as well. There may be a large altar at the zocalo, which represents a collective effort. 

Oaxaca has street altars, known as tapetes or rugs, made of colored sand, shells, beads, leaves, petals, and glitter.  Artists spend hours arranging these elements to depict three-dimensional scenes of skeletons, cemeteries, altars, and such, only to have them disseminated by the wind or washed away within days.  The practice is a melancholy reminder of the beauty and transitory nature of life.

Michoacán’s island of Janitzio hosts an extraordinary version of Day of the Dead, opening with a morning duck hunt.  Amid a chorus of church bells, small boats fill with passengers who bring provisions to the island’s graves.  When night falls, the graveyard becomes a stage.  Folkloric dances such as White Fish, an homage to the lake’s abundance; and Dance of the Old Men, a ritual paying respect to the sun, compete with live banda music and the songs and prayers of mothers and children. 

While altars vary according to region and purpose, they almost always contain items symbolizing nature’s elements of earth, wind, fire, and water.  Earth is frequently represented in flowers, particularly those of a vivid orange and velvety red, as well as pickings from a local crop.  The bright colors and scent are said to attract and feed the souls of the dead.  A moving object symbolizes wind.  Many people incorporate papel picado, made of tissue paper with patterned cut-outs, to fulfill this requirement.  Candles, often with pictures of saints or virgins, are lit and placed upon the altar or gravestone to represent wind.  Some people place the candle inside a concrete niche or glass box to protect the flame.  Gourds or small pots may hold the necessary water, intended to quench the thirst of the soul that has traveled from another world to visit this realm.

Other items for the altar include a photograph of the deceased, copal incense, and pictures of saints.  People always place foods that the loved one enjoyed, and chocolate makes a frequent appearance.  Some altars also hold tequila and cigarettes.  If the altar is for a child, people often include toys as well.  Color and light are significant, because they pull spirits to the altar.  More complex altars include an arch over the structure, typically made of bent twigs or sugar cane stalks, signifying the portal between this world and the next.

Contemporary artists—some with Mexican heritage, some not—have drawn inspiration from the Day of the Dead tradition.  Debbie de la Cruz creates saint candles with images of Frida Kahlo.  Joel Garcia used papier mache to craft a massive skeleton adorned to look like a priest.  These artists have captured the themes that make Day of the Dead so unique among the world’s celebrations, the idea that someone can be loved and remembered with hope, joy, and even humor.

All photos by Serena Makofsky unless noted otherwise.

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Serena Makofsky uprooted her family and moved to Oaxaca two and a half years ago. She covers underground art, street culture and lifestyle trends for magazines such as Aishti, Modern Mom and Hi-Fructose.  In her spare time, she is at work on a beatnik musical and a film about an ex-voto painter. She enjoys building pop culture shrines and playing many rounds of hide-and-seek with her children Max and Geni.