El Dia de Los Muertos The Day of the Dead

Historia More than 500 years ago, when the 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 at least 3,000 years. A ritual the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate.

Historia The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth and honor the dead. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. The Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious. They perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan. In their attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to kill the ritual. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die.

Historia To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today. Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America and falls in between Oct. 31 st and Nov. 2 nd. Traditionally, most regions in Mexico with honor deceased children and infants on November 1 st and deceased adults on November 2 nd. November 1 st is traditionally called “Día de los Inocentes” (Day of the Innocents) or “Día de los Angelitos” (Day of the Little Angels).

It's celebrated different depending on where you go. In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.

In their honor… In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. They surround these altars with flowers, food and pictures of the deceased. They light candles and place them next to the altar. They also prepare and eat the deceased’s favorite food and play music in their honor.

Traditional alter decorations Candles representing hope and faith that burn through the night so there is no darkness. Traditionally there is a candle for each deceased member of the family and one extra so no one is left out. A traditional incense called Copal which is used to cleanse the area and ward off evil. The scent is used to attract the sprits home. Water to purify and quench the thirst of the spirits after a long journey. Salt to season their food. Bread for survival. A washbasin with soap, towels, and other items so the spirit can clean up when the arrive home. Calavaras or decorative skeletons to represent the loved one. The deceased favorite items to make them feel more at home. The traditional flower (marigold) which dates back to the time of the Aztecs and is believed to lure the spirits back with it’s scent.

Calaveras

Families tiding and decorating graves in a cemetery in Mexico

Exit Slip 1. What is 1 thing you learned about El día de los Muertos? 2. What is 1 thing you found most interesting about El día de los Muertos? 3. How does El día de los Muertos compare to Halloween? (Give 1 similarity and 1 difference).