\nA word derived from Nahuatl meaning \"flower of 20 petals,\" they decorate and scent the place during the soul's stay. In many places in the country, it is customary to lay paths of petals that serve to guide the deceased from the cemetery to the offering and vice versa.\n
\nIt is the element of purification, serving to prevent the body from decaying on its journey back and forth for the next year. Another element of purification is the ash cross, which serves to purify the deceased's spirit from their pending sins.\n
\nWith their flickering flame, they serve as a guide for the souls to reach their old places and illuminate their return to their dwelling. If four candles are placed in a cross, they represent the four cardinal points, so that the soul can orient itself until it finds its way home.\n
\nThe copal was offered by indigenous people to their gods as incense was not yet known; it arrived with the Spaniards. It is used to ward off evil spirits and purify the environment.\n
\nThe food that the deceased liked to delight the visiting soul. One of the favorite dishes that appears on the altar in many indigenous places in the country is mole with chicken, along with sweet pumpkin in \"tacha.\" \n
\nOther very characteristic elements in the altars of the dead are sugar skulls, which represent allusions to death. The possible origin of the sugar skulls may be related to tzompantli, a row of skulls of sacrificed warriors placed on a pole.\n
The Day of the Dead altar is created to honor relatives or illustrious figures who have passed away.
It consists of a symbolic construction where floral offerings, food, and drinks are placed to pay tribute to the deceased.
Some of the elements that make up the altar of the dead are:
Papel picado
The papel picado in purple (Christian mourning) and orange (Aztec mourning). Commercial papel picado includes a variety of colors and designs based on the caricatures of La Catrina, created by the Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada.
A word derived from Nahuatl meaning "flower of 20 petals," they decorate and scent the place during the soul's stay. In many places in the country, it is customary to lay paths of petals that serve to guide the deceased from the cemetery to the offering and vice versa.
It is the element of purification, serving to prevent the body from decaying on its journey back and forth for the next year. Another element of purification is the ash cross, which serves to purify the deceased's spirit from their pending sins.
With their flickering flame, they serve as a guide for the souls to reach their old places and illuminate their return to their dwelling. If four candles are placed in a cross, they represent the four cardinal points, so that the soul can orient itself until it finds its way home.
The copal was offered by indigenous people to their gods as incense was not yet known; it arrived with the Spaniards. It is used to ward off evil spirits and purify the environment.
The food that the deceased liked to delight the visiting soul. One of the favorite dishes that appears on the altar in many indigenous places in the country is mole with chicken, along with sweet pumpkin in "tacha."
Other very characteristic elements in the altars of the dead are sugar skulls, which represent allusions to death. The possible origin of the sugar skulls may be related to tzompantli, a row of skulls of sacrificed warriors placed on a pole.
