Day of the Dead is observed throughout Mexico, but celebrating Day of the Dead in Mexico City is truly unique.
Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration honoring the deceased taking place on November 1 and 2nd.
The origins of Day of the Dead are a blend of Spanish Catholic beliefs and pre-Hispanic indigenous rituals and traditions. Let’s dive into this unique celebration.
Mexico has always been fascinated with all things Dead-related, and this fascination is manifested throughout the country. From the Museum of the Mummies of Guanajuato to the numerous movies pitting superheroes against the living dead, the Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition to its core.
The celebrations feature marigolds, visits to deceased relatives’ gravesites, music, wearing masks and costumes representing the dead, offerings at beautifully decorated alters, parades and more.
This special day is important to its adherents because, not only does it honor deceased loved ones and ancestors, it also celebrates life. Lastly, the celebration acknowledges that death is a natural and inevitable part of life.
Although mostly celebrated in Mexico, Day of the Dead is also important in some other Latin American countries as well as in the United States where people of Mexican ethnicity reside.
What are the best places to stay in Mexico City close to Day of the Dead action.
How to celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico City
Creating an ofrenda or altar
Ofrendas are altars decorated with flowers—especially marigolds—photos of the deceased, candles, incense, personal items, and the departed’s favorite foods. People create these ofrendas in their homes and other locations.
The largest ofrenda is in San Andres de Mixquic, a few miles from Mexico City. It is an explosion of color and decorations and is visited by over 100,000 people yearly.
Traditional foods to celebrate the Day of the Dead
Pan de Muerto or Bread of the Dead
Pan de Muertos is a round-shaped bread eaten during the Day of the Dead celebrations. It has many meanings.
The bread symbolizes the sweetness of death, and its circular shape, as well as the crisscross or bone-like decorations on top, symbolizes the circle of life.
The delicacy often has pink or red sugar on top symbolizing blood.
Families can knead the dough and make the bread together as a family activity. Every family can create their own style of Pan de Muertos. The family remembers their loved ones while they make the bread.
The completed Pan de Muertos is then placed on the family’s altar and offered up to the souls of the deceased in order to nourish them.
Pan de Muertos can also be purchased in a regular bakery or supermarket should the family not be inclined to make it themselves. Once offered on the altar, it has the same significance as one made at home by the family.
Sugar skulls
Sugar skulls are small, skull-like decorations used to represent the departed during Day of the Dead celebrations.
These items are placed on altars dedicated to the deceased, frequently with the names of the departed on them.
The skulls are decorated in bright colors and intricate designs to celebrate the lives of loved ones.
This is in contrast to the generally accepted somber acceptance of death.
The parade for Day of the Dead in Mexico City
Mexico City, along with other areas, is a wonderful place to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. The Mexican capital city shines during the Day of the Dead celebrations with the Day of the Dead parade. The parade for Day of the Dead in Mexico City is the most important one in the country.
The parade takes place on November 2nd. It begins in Puerta de Los Leones in Chapultepec Park and runs the length of Paseo de La Reforma ending in El Zocalo, Mexico City’s main square.
Visiting Cemeteries During Day of the Dead celebrations
Day of the Dead celebrations can take place anywhere but cemeteries are prime locations to celebrate the lives of loved ones.
Two cemeteries are excellent examples of where to find Day of the Dead celebrations; San Antonio de Tecoimitl and San Andres de Mixquic.
What happens in these cemeteries during the Day of the Dead celebrations? Relatives of the deceased gather at the grave and decorate the tombs placing flowers, favorite foods of the deceased, incense and anything else that was perceived to be of importance to the deceased.
The relatives are happy to share their experience with others and happily allow photos to be taken. In fact, they welcome it.
Some tombs belong to infants, others of adults, but all have family members cleaning and decorating the graves.
I hesitated to ask for permission to take a photo of some of the graves but the relatives were so accommodating. It seems they were proud of their efforts in decorating the tombs of their relatives
Dressing up as corpses
Some folks confuse Day of the Dead with Halloween. The two traditions are very different. Halloween is often associated with monsters and frights. Day of the Dead, in contrast, is a celebration of life while accepting the inevitability of death.
While people dress up in all sorts of different costumes during Halloween from clowns to animals to superheroes, Day of the Dead is all about dressing up in costumes that represent death.
The ultimate representation of death is “La Catrina,” or La Calavera Catrina (The Catrina skull). This is the representation of a female corpse. Women have their faces painted to appear dead.
You’ll see these painted masks all over town on the faces of women from all walks of life. This is because death comes to all regardless of class or any other affiliation. Men too can disguise their faces the same way and they are called Catrins.
Catrina’s origins date back to a 1910 political cartoon created by Jose Guadalupe Posada. The cartoon used the image of an elaborately dressed, high-class woman skeleton to satirize and poke fun Mexico’s upper classes.
The author wanted to remind them that they, too, would someday face the inevitability of death. Ultimately we all end up in the same place so we are all equal.
Over the years La Catrina was influenced by indigenous beliefs, local artists like Khalo and Rivera, a couple of politicians and the 1911 Revolution resulting in the Catrina we see today, the symbol of Day of the Dead.
If you want to learn more about celebrating the Day of the Dead in Mexico City and other places in Mexico, check out these guides.
What are your thoughts on the wonderful tradition of celebrating Day of the Dead in Mexico City?
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