Día de los Muertos: Celebrating Mexico’s Day of the Dead

Mexico is renowned for its distinctive approach to death – and, by extension, to life.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a profound, ancient celebration where people across Mexico honor and remember their departed loved ones with deep affection.

Often misinterpreted and simplified, Día de los Muertos fundamentally serves as a reminder that life – whether that of someone who has passed or your own – is ephemeral and deserves celebration. It beautifully intertwines grief and remembrance with joy. This quintessential Mexican festival is rich with family, food, and music, embracing all and ensuring none are forgotten.

The origins of the Day of the Dead stretch back over a thousand years to the indigenous peoples of central Mexico, such as the Toltecs and Aztecs, who believed that the spirits of the deceased return to their communities once a year. The arrival of Spanish colonizers led to the celebration evolving to incorporate Catholic customs and rituals.

Today, Día de los Muertos is celebrated as a distinctive observance of death and a fundamental aspect of Mexican culture, earning its cultural significance recognition from UNESCO. Each region of Mexico has its own way of celebrating Día de los Muertos, though there are common elements throughout the nation.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is Día de los Muertos?

While preparations and certain regional festivities may start in mid to late October, Día de los Muertos is celebrated on two specific days: November 1 and 2.

The first day is dedicated to children who have passed away and is known as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocent Ones—not to be confused with Mexico's version of April Fool's Day on December 28) or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels).

The second day honors adults and is referred to as either Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Departed). Initially celebrated in August during pre-Columbian times, it evolved to align with the Catholic observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which are dedicated to prayer and remembrance of the deceased.

Create an ofrenda (altar)

Starting in mid-October, many Mexicans prepare ofrendas (altars) in their homes and workplaces to honor their loved ones who have passed away. These ofrendas can range from simple displays to intricate multi-tiered setups, but they all include the same essential elements: photographs of the deceased, their favorite foods and beverages, and cherished personal items (like a toy, a bottle of nail polish, or a book).

Commonly featured items consist of candles, flowers, crucifixes, and vibrant images of saints. For many families, the ofrenda symbolizes their remembrance of a beloved person; for others, it serves as a welcoming space for their family's spirits to return during this time of year.

Visit the cemetery

Regardless of local customs, Día de los Muertos is a moment when Mexicans gather at cemeteries to tidy the graves of their loved ones, adorning them with flowers and candles.

The atmosphere is often both celebratory and solemn, as families bring folding chairs and blankets to enjoy a day—and sometimes a night—filled with food, drinks, and storytelling. Live music is a common sight, with musicians strolling through the cemeteries, stopping at each gravesite to play the favorite songs of the departed.

Purchase some flowers, especially marigolds

While various flowers are used during Día de los Muertos, the vibrant orange cempasúchil (marigold) is recognized as the official flower of the dead in Mexico.

Indigenous to the central region of Mexico, marigolds have been integral to Day of the Dead celebrations since ancient times, as their vibrant color and musky scent were believed to guide spirits back to their homes.

Today, marigolds continue to be favored for ofrendas and gravesites, particularly in central and southern Mexico, where cemeteries become a sea of orange, and marigold petals are scattered before altars as a homage to ancient customs.

Prepare some dishes

Food plays a vital role in Día de los Muertos. Ofrendas include the favorite dishes of the departed, reflecting not only their tastes but also the diverse regional cuisines like mole negro (a slow-cooked sauce with hoja santa chili, chocolate, onions, and garlic, often paired with chicken) from Oaxaca, pozole (a traditional stew with meat, shredded cabbage, chili peppers, onions, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa, and lime) from Mexico City, and calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin in sugar cane syrup) from Yucatán.

One staple food that you’ll find everywhere is pan de muerto (bread of the dead). This soft, egg-based bread is dusted with sugar and shaped into a round loaf adorned with bone-like decorations, symbolizing the life-death cycle. Bakeries begin offering pan de muerto a week or two prior to Día de los Muertos, both for ofrendas and as a delightful treat alongside coffee, hot cocoa, or atole (a warm, corn-based beverage).

Get your face painted like a skeleton

Skeleton imagery has gained popularity during Día de los Muertos celebrations, largely influenced by La Catrina, an elegant skeleton adorned with a feather boa and a large Victorian hat.

La Catrina was created in the early 1900s by satirical cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada, symbolizing the notion that death does not discriminate between rich and poor. The image was further ingrained in national culture through the artwork of renowned Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, among others.

Today, festivities throughout Mexico celebrate this iconic skeleton with paper mâché decorations, candy skulls for ofrendas, and skeleton-themed imagery featured in signage and papel picado (colorful, perforated banners) that dance in the breeze across the streets.

During parades or processions, many individuals paint their faces to resemble skulls and don vibrant regional costumes or Victorian-style attire. Face painters often gather on the streets, ready to transform the faces of onlookers into skulls.

Join a special event

Traditionally, Día de los Muertos is a celebration focused on family, but larger festivities are emerging across the country, including cemetery processions, city-wide parades, and vibrant street fairs with food stalls and neon rides. Notable celebrations include:

• Mexico City’s Desfile de Alebrijes (Parade of Spirit Guides), which begins in the Zócalo and winds through the city's streets, featuring fantastical creatures, elaborate floats, and a sea of spectators dressed in skeleton attire.

• In Mixquic, southeast of Mexico City, streets adorned with Day of the Dead murals attract visitors for La Alumbrada (The Lighting), a three-night event when the town plunges into darkness, leaving the cemetery illuminated by thousands of candles adorning intricately decorated graves.

• On Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán’s Janitzio Island sees thousands gather to witness the arrival of canoes draped in flowers and lit by candles, marking the start of an overnight vigil/celebration at the cemetery.

• Oaxaca City’s week-long festivities feature dance and music performances, cemetery tours, and a competition for the best altar.

• More than 50,000 participants join Mérida’s Paseo de las Ánimas (Procession of the Souls), most in skeleton face paint and traditional Yucatecan attire, walking two miles from the main cemetery to the town center while passing hundreds of candle-lit ofrendas.