Honoring the Departed for Día de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos is a multi-day remembrance celebration in the Mexican tradition. As family and friends prepare for this sacred holiday, explorer and storyteller Emiliano Ruprah captured the colors of this beautiful tradition on the streets of Mexico.

Continue to follow the celebrations on Instagram @emilianoruprah.

Updated: November 3, 2020

October 30, 2020

By: Emiliano Ruprah

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Photo By: Emiliano Ruprah

La Calavera Catrina ('Dapper Skeleton', 'Elegant Skull') traces its roots back to a zinc etching by the Mexican printmaker, cartoon illustrator and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada early in the 20th century. It was a satirical portrait of those Mexican natives who, Posada felt, were aspiring to adopt European aristocratic traditions in the pre-revolution era. La Catrina has become an icon of the Mexican Día de Muertos.

Anayeli, who made me a cup of Tejate. Tejate is a non-alcoholic maize and cacao beverage traditionally made in Oaxaca, Mexico, originating from pre-Hispanic times. Principal ingredients include toasted maize, fermented cacao beans, toasted mamey pits (pixtle) and flor de cacao (also known as rosita de cacao). These are finely ground into a paste. The paste is mixed with water, usually by hand, and when it is ready, the flor de cacao rises to the top to form a pasty foam.

In Mexico, it’s hard to go to a party or attend a street festival without encountering papier-mâché. The colorful paper craft—known as cartonería (from the Spanish word for cardboard)—headlines on skeletons and otherworldly beings during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This is another take on the iconic Catrina.

There are hundreds of types of pan de muerto prepared in bakeries throughout Mexico during Día de los Muertos. Everything is just a little more elaborate in Oaxaca, however, and pan de muerto is no exception. The Oaxacan variety is made with extra egg yolks and has an anthropomorphic design, complete with a little edible doll which represents the dead.

Another take on the Catrina and possibly a reference to Frida Khalo.

A papier-mâché Xolo. In addition to being honored with ofrendas, canines are believed to play a special role in the afterlife. Xoloitzcuintli, also known as Xolos or Mexican Hairless Dogs, are revered as spirit guides to the kingdom of the dead.

Mexican Day of the Dead humor is in full display as pandemic masks are sold with the kinds of caricatures of death the holiday is known for.

A florist in the 20th of November Market selling cempasuchil flowers. Their vibrant color is said to represent the sun, which in Aztec mythology guides the spirits on their way to the underworld. By using them in Day of the Dead rituals, the strong aroma of the flowers attracts the spirits who are believed to return to visit their families at this time, helping them to find their way.

Day of the Dead art in the historic center of Oaxaca City.

A variation on the classic Catrina.

Papel picado is made by artisans who stack colored tissue paper in dozens of layers, then perforate the layers with hammer and chisel points. Papel picado isn’t used exclusively during Day of the Dead, but it plays an important role in the holiday.

Catrina skeleton.

Papel picado with Dia de Los Muertos symbolism.

A giant Catrina in downtown Oaxaca City.

Cempasuchil flowers placed on a door frame are meant to call out to the dead and lead them home. Often called “flowers of the dead,” cempasuchil, or flor de muerto, these bright orange and yellow flowers' fragrance is said to attract souls to an altar, home or grave.

An art gallery in downtown Oaxaca City plays on themes of the day of the dead with a massive altar of skulls. The indigenous culture of skulls and the death-goddess Mictecacihuatl is common in pre-Columbian art. Lady of the Dead, Mictecacihuatl, was keeper of the bones in the underworld, and she presided over the ancient month-long Aztec festivals honoring the dead. Since the pre-Columbian era, Mexican culture has maintained a certain reverence towards death.

A copal stand in the 20th of November market. Copal incense was burned in Mesoamerica in ancient times and is still burned for special ceremonies and is often placed on or near Day of the Dead altars as another olfactory element to draw in the spirits. The word copal comes from the Náhuatl word “copalli” which means, “incense”. It is the dried aromatic resin from the copal tree Protium copal (Burseraceae).

A young girl poses with a cempasuchil flower. A mixture of Aztec and European symbolism infuses the meaning of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) face painting designs. The tradition is a mixture of Catholic beliefs with the religions of indigenous Mexican people.

Hotels, restaurants and shops in Oaxaca’s historic center compete every year by making giant Catrinas.

A mourning Catrina in a plaza in the historic center of Oaxaca.

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Honoring the Departed for Día de los Muertos

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