El Día de Muertos: Study Guide
The Day of the Dead is a Celebration of LIFE!
El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)…
is a celebration of one of the most traditional Mexican festivities. This Aztec ritual and commemoration started at least 3,000 years ago. It is a festive interaction that embraces the cycle of life. Mesoamerican natives, African-Americans and Spanish blend their traditions during the celebration.
What is the Day of the Dead?
More than 500 years ago, when Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing for at least 3,000 years, a ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate.
The Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious and perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan. In their attempts to convert the Aztecs to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to eliminate the ritual. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die. To make the ritual more "Christian," the Spaniards moved its date to coincide with All Saints’ Day on November 1st and All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. Previously, El Día de los Muertos fell on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, near the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. Festivities were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as Lady of the Dead, who was believed to have died at birth. (Carlos Miller)
The Aztec Ceremony
It is a solemn ritual that Aztecs have practiced for more than 3,000 years for calling the spirits of beloved families and friends who have passed away. The ritual starts with a candlelight vigil that beckons departed spirits to return to earth for a brief visit. It is believed that the spirits visit their families on October 31st and leave on November 2nd.
The goddess Mictecacihatl, from the Aztec culture and the goddess Ixchel, from the Maya culture Mictecacihatl is considered the “Lady of Dead” in the Aztec culture. She embraces the cycle of life. Ixchel is de goddess of the Mayan culture that represents the moon, the waters, the rainbow, love and fertility. These forces of life are represented from the traditions of two of the most extraordinary civilizations on Earth.
Malinalli, La Llorona (The Weeping Woman)
Legend tells that Mallinali, “La Llorona”, was a Native princess from the Aztec empire who suffered the terrible condition of slavery during the Spanish conquest. She was the slave, translator and lover of Hernán Cortés, the cruel conquistador of Mexico.
The historical figure of Malinalli has been intermixed with Aztec legends (such as La Llorona, the woman who weeps for her lost children). She is considered “The First Mother of Mexico” and the quintessential victim from the Conquest of the New World.
La Flor Cempasúchil (The Marigold)
Markets are filled with cempasúchil flowers, the orange marigold wild flower that the Aztecs used to remember their dead. Its color represents the tones of earth, and it is used to guide souls and little angels to their homes and altars, as well as helping them on their spiritual journey.
El Altar (The Altar)
Festive altars are built in homes to honor the deceased. The altars are beautifully decorated tables containing photographs of beloved relatives, papel picado (decorative paper cuttings), candles, sugar skulls and marigolds. Plates of favorite foods, toys and sweets for little angels and departed loved-ones are the ofrendas (offerings) placed upon the altar.
Las Catrinas Tambien Bailan (Las Catrinas Can Dance Too)
"According to Mexican Folklore, ‘La Catrina’ —also known as death— can show herself in many different ways. Sometimes she is dressed in a rather elaborate, festive way. Sometimes she appears before us in ‘bare bones,’ to take us away when we least expect it. Generally, however, the relationship which the Mexican people have with La Catrina, is defined by a unique set of circumstances, intimately tied with the history and culture of Mexico.
Death in Mexico is thought of as a welcome guest on certain very important occasions, such as the Day of the Dead, or ‘día de los fieles difuntos.’ As Mexicans, we believe that death, and specifically the memory of our ‘fieles difuntos,’ which literally means ‘our faithful deceased,’ gives us a strong sense of identity and rootedness in our culture. This conspicuous —and perennial— guest is paradoxically also associated with the joy of life in the face of the imminence and inevitability of death. We only live once and La Catrina, with her mischievous smile, pleads with us to seize the moment and through music —and perhaps a little dance—find life’s meaning." (The La Catrina Quartet)
El Día de Los Angelitos (Little Angels Day)
Celebrations begin at midnight on October 31st and last for two days. November 1st is usually dedicated to deceased children, while November 2nd remembers deceased adults. November 1st is also called "Día de Los Angelitos" because it is believed that children instantly become angels when they die.
Monarch butterflies & Día de los Muertos
Monarch butterflies are not able to survive the cold winters of most of the United States so they migrate south and west each autumn to escape the cold weather. The monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico and some parts of Southern California where it is warm all year long.
The monarch butterflies play an important role in Día de los Muertos because they are believed to hold the spirits of the departed. For thousands of years the people living in Mexico's mountains have believed the monarch butterflies are the spirits of the dead. Their arrival in winter coincides with Mexico's most spectacular festival, Dia de los Muertos,
The Mexican government has set up a number of protected sanctuaries within a biosphere reserve to ensure that the important habitats required by the Monarch Butterflies are protected and preserved, while still allowing visitors to witness these remarkable insects and enjoy some of Mexico's most breath-taking landscapes.
“La palabra “Muerte” No se pronuncia en todas las culturas porque quema los labios. Los Mexicanos, en contraste, estan familiarizados con la muerte, bromean con ella. La acarician; es uno de sus juguetes favoritos y de su mas constante amor.”
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In 2008, “El Dia de los Muertos” tradition was inscribed in the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by The UNESCO.
Suggested Links to learn more about Dia de los Muertos:
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Questions – Preguntas
What El Dia de los Muertos represents to the different cultures?
Is Dia de los Muertos related to Halloween?
Do you know who is Octavio Paz?
What are the Catrinas for El Dia de los Muertos celebration
Are the Monarch Butterflies related to El Dia de los Muertos?
What do you think about the ALTARS as part of El Dia de los
Muertos celebration?
Where is the goddess Ixchel from?