Día de los Muertos, When Loved Ones Return
By Kate Avalos
While Día de los Muertos has been gaining popularity worldwide, it is often still misunderstood as “Mexican Halloween.” While both holidays share the belief that the dead can return, Halloween is quite different as it focuses on warding off evil spirits. In contrast, during Día de los Muertos, it is believed the dead return to visit their living loved ones.
Día de los Muertos traditionally runs from October 31 – November 2. November 1 honors infants and children, Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels), and November 2 honors adults. In 2019, it was expanded to include October 27 to honor deceased animals and pets. This was started with a social media campaign by Funeral Pet, a pet funeral home in Mexico City.
The holiday is observed by building ofrendas (altars) to help guide the dead back to the world of the living. Scholars debate whether today’s celebrations mostly originated from Mesoamerican cultures or Christianity, but the influences of both can be seen. There is also debate over how much the modern holiday has been influenced by more recent social and political events in Mexico.
The Aztecs believed that when a person died, their soul traveled to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. The soul would have to pass through nine different levels, each with a different challenge. This journey would take four years, and upon completion of all nine levels, the soul would reach its final resting place, Mictlān. To aid the journey, family members would provide food, water, and tools that the soul would need. This is like the offerings that are commonly left at ofrendas or graves for Día de los Muertos.
In medieval Spain, people would visit the graves of loved ones and bring wine and pan de ánimas (soul bread) on All Souls Day. They would also cover the graves with flowers and use candles to light the way back to the living realm for the deceased souls. Today, marigolds and candles are part of the ofrenda tradition. The modern date of Día de los Muertos is also related to Christianity. The Aztec festival to honor the Lady of the Dead, Mictēcacihuātl, Queen of Mictlān, took place in the summer, but Día de los Muertos is in November to coincide with Christianity’s All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day.
In Mexico, family and friends visit graveyards and build ofrendas at their loved one’s graves or their homes. The belief is that ofrendas will attract the souls to the living world for a visit. Processions for the dead are another modern way the holiday is now observed. Tucson has one of the largest processions in North America, the All Souls Procession. It was established in 1990 by Susan Kay Johnson to “express her sorrow” over the death of her father. It has grown to host over 150,000 participants. The procession and festival end with the ceremonial burning of an urn that is filled with the public’s prayers, hopes, and offerings for those who have passed away.
Ten ofrendas created by local organizations, schools, and TPT staff and volunteers are on display at the Presidio Museum, October 25 – November 9, 10 am – 4 pm.
Join us for the November 8 Remember Me Living History, 10 am – 2 pm, where we explore how various cultures and time periods practiced honoring the dead, including a special look at Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Tucson in the 1800s. This is also the last weekend the ofrenda exhibition will be up, so make sure not to miss it!