During the Aztec era, Mexico witnessed rain festivals in honor of Tlaloc, the god of rain and lightning. These festivals were deeply rooted in Aztec culture, reflecting the importance of agriculture and nature to their society.

Rain Festivals were held 3 times a year.

The 1st Rain Festival was held at the beginning of the agricultural year, in February. During this event, priests performed rituals to invoke Tlaloc’s blessing and bring about rain, which is crucial for a successful planting season.

In March, when the flowers began to bloom, the ancient Aztecs held a 2nd Rain Festival. This event celebrated the renewal of life and growth, with offerings to Tlaloc and other rain deities to ensure a bountiful harvest.

In autumn, the 3rd Rain Festival was intended to bring rainfall in the coming season. During this festival, intricate mountain-like shapes and images of Tlaloc were created to symbolize his abode on the mountain peaks.

Rain Festivals reflect the Aztecs’ deep reverence for nature and their dependence on divine powers for agricultural prosperity, highlighting the enduring importance of ancient traditions in Mexican pre-Hispanic cultures.

Every August, Mexico City hosts the Homage to Cuauhtémoc festival.

This is a colorful tribute to Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, killed in 1525. This celebration takes place at the Cuauhtémoc statue on the Paseo de la Reforma, combining history, culture, and dance in a spectacular show.

Cuauhtémoc’s story unfolds through narratives and Conchero dance performances.

Dancers are adorned with magnificent feathered headdresses, decorated with mirrors and beads. It is a traditional indigenous dance of central Mexico, known for rhythmic movements, symbolic rituals, and elaborate costumes.

Conchero dancers combine Aztec and Spanish influences, carrying images of Jesus Christ and other Catholic saints, a symbolic fusion of different cultures reflecting Mexico’s complex heritage.

Each dancer moves to its own rhythm and music. The dance gradually builds momentum, reaching a moving climax, and then fades into a moment of poignant silence, paying tribute to Cuauhtémoc and the resilience of Aztecs.

In pre-Hispanic Mexico, the New Fire Ceremony festival was held every 52 years.

The Aztecs had 2 different calendar cycles: a solar calendar with 18 months of 20 days each plus an “unlucky” period of 5 days, and a ritual calendar spanning 260 days, divided into 13 months of 20 named days each.

When these cycles intersected, they formed a grand “century” lasting 52 years.

As this age came to an end, the Aztecs held their breath in anticipation of a cosmic renewal. The New Fire Ceremony Festival marked this auspicious turning point, symbolizing the transition to a new era, and spiritual rebirth.

The old altar fire was extinguished and a new one was lit, as a symbol of a new era.

On the appointed day, all fires in the Valley of Mexico were extinguished before dusk – a symbolic act of closure. The population then gathered, following their revered priests to the sacred temple atop the Hill of the Star.

There they waited for a heavenly omen. The appearance of the Pleiades constellation at its zenith was crucial, its timely alignment meant the continuation of the life cycle. This heaven sign meant that peace would continue.

Having received this confirmation, the torchbearers set out on a torch relay through the valley, re-lighting the fire in each house. This act is a testament to the enduring spirit of Aztecs amid the cosmic dance of the heavens.

The celebration of the Quecholli Festival pays homage to Mixcoatl, also known as the Cloud Serpent, the deity of the hunt, and the Morning Star, celebrated on the 280th day of the Aztec year, at the end of the 14th month.

Mixcoatl had features reminiscent of a deer or rabbit. This deity played a pivotal role in Aztec cosmology as one of the four creators of the world. Mixcoatl sparked fire from sticks, a pivotal act enabling the creation of humanity.

The Quecholli Festival coincides with the day traditionally designated for the crafting of weapons. This event is marked by ceremonial hunting, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life and the livelihood derived from hunting.

During Quecholli, the Aztecs engage in rituals and festivities that honor Mixcoatl, underscoring the deep spiritual connection with the natural world, and perpetuating the legacy of Mixcoatl as a guardian and provider for Aztecs.

Xipe Totec festival is an intriguing aspect of Aztec culture and religious practice.

Xipe Totec, revered by the Aztecs as the god of war was often called “Our Lord the Flayed One”. This epithet is associated with the deity’s characteristic iconography, which depicts Xipe Totec dressed in human skin.

This event took place in March and was dedicated to Xipe Totec.

During this festival, Aztec warriors participated in rituals, captured prisoners of war, performed sacrificial rituals, tore out their hearts, and then proceeded to skin them and wear their skin throughout the 20-day festival.

The festivities included mock battles fought by these skin-clad warriors. After the ceremonies were completed, the rotting skins of the sacrificial victims were respectfully thrown into caves or buried in the ground.

The Xipe Totec Festival provides a look into the complexities of Aztec religious beliefs and rituals, highlighting the unique ways that ancient cultures sought to understand and interact with their gods and the natural world.

Xilonen, also known as Chicomecoatl, was a goddess of fertility and sustenance. She was honored through rituals and offerings. The Xilonen Festival is a colorful celebration, event that lasts 8 days, starting on June 22.

Each evening during the celebration of this festive, unmarried girls carried young green corn as offerings in a ceremonial procession to the temple. This act was a sacred show of gratitude and a prayer for a bountiful harvest.

The highlight of the festival was the choice of a slave girl who would embody Xilonen.

Decorated and stylized as a goddess Xilonen, she participated in ceremonial rites throughout the festival. On the final night, the chosen girl was sacrificed and her life was offered as a profound gesture of devotion to Xylonen.

The Xilonen Festival is an ancient tradition and cultural richness of the Aztec heritage.

There are many more Aztec festivals celebrated in Mexico.

Ochpaniztli was a festival dedicated to the maize goddess, Chicomecoatl, celebrated in the Aztec month of Ochpaniztli (late August to early September). It involved rituals to ensure fertility and abundance for the maize harvest.

Panquetzaliztli was held during the Aztec month of Panquetzaliztli (late November to early December). This event was held in honor of Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun, and included processions, dances, and offerings.

Toxcatl was a major festival dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, the god of providence and rulership. This event featured music, dance, and the sacrifice of a young man who impersonated the god for a year before his sacrificial death.

Tlaxochimaco was celebrated in the Aztec month of Toxcatl (late May to early June) and was dedicated to Xochipilli, the god of flowers, art, and games. This festival involved dances, songs, and offerings of flowers to honor Xochipilli.

Huey Tecuilhuitl was also known as the “Great Festival of the Lords”. This festival was celebrated in honor of various Aztec gods and goddesses. It included multiple days of ceremonies, feasting, and ritual performances.

These festivals played important roles in Aztec religious and social life, reflecting the complex cosmology and cultural practices. Each festival had specific rituals, ceremonies, and symbolic meanings tied to the Aztec beliefs.

The Christmas season in Mexico runs from early December to January 6 with one last related celebration on February 2. These various traditions incorporate remnants of indigenous practice, customs from Spain, novel Mexican inventions from the colonial period, and later Germanic and U.S. elements.

The market activity begins to grow in late November, with traditional markets swelling and new tianguis (street markets) appearing with stalls dedicated to selling gifts and decorations which include traditional poinsettias and nativity scenes as well as items such as Christmas trees, ornaments / electric light, and even reindeer figures.

Starting in December, many homes, businesses, and other buildings are decorated with poinsettias, which are called “Noche Buena” (from the Spanish phrase that means “good night” referring to Christmas Eve).

Mexico is the origin of poinsettia. In the pre-Hispanic period, they were called cuetlaxochitl, and were a favorite in the mid-winter when they were a symbol of the new life that they believed that fallen warriors received, returning as hummingbirds and butterflies to drink the nectar.

A modern Mexican legend says that the poinsettia was once a weed that miraculously turned into a beautiful flower so that a child could present it to the infant Jesus. The name for this plant is also used to refer to a dark bock-style beer that is only available during the Christmas season.

Since the late 20th century, Mexico has adopted a number of German and U.S. Christmas traditions.

Christmas trees were originally imported into Mexico for the expatriate community, but have since become more popular with the Mexican population, either placed with more traditional nativity scenes or in some other location.

Christmas trees have become more common as personal incomes rise and tree prices fall, with artificial trees easily available in places like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Mexican chain stores. Live trees are also common and Christmas tree production in Mexico is now a large industry.

For poorer families that cannot afford live trees, alternatives are small artificial trees or even branches from local trees or shrubs.

In 2009, Mexico hosted the world’s largest Christmas tree according to Guinness at 110.35 meters high and weighing 330 tons on Glorieta de la Palma on Paseo de la Reforma. Santa Claus, still in his traditional red winter clothing, appears as well.

Before Christmas Day it is not uncommon to see stands with Santa for children to have their picture taken. After Christmas Day, these stands have one or more Wise Men.

Many children now get presents from both Santa Claus and the Wise Men, although they tend to get more from the Wise Men “because there are three of them”. Many public Christmas season celebrations mix Mexican and foreign traditions.

Mexico City sponsors a Christmas season set up on the city’s main square or Zocalo, complete with a towering Christmas tree and an ice rink which has become a tradition. Nativity scenes are placed here and along Paseo de la Reforma.

During the season it is common to hear Christmas music, both traditional and contemporary.

Traditional music includes villancicos (akin to Christmas carols) with popular songs being “Los pastores a Belén”, “Riu, riu, chiu: El lobo rabioso” and “Los peces en el río”. Contemporary music includes Spanish covers of foreign music, such as Jingle Bells.

The most traditional and important Christmas decoration is the nativity scene. Generally set up by December 12 and left on display at least until February 2 and found in homes, businesses, and churches.

They were introduced in the early colonial period with the first Mexican monks teaching the indigenous people to carve the figures.

The basic setup is similar to those in other parts of the world, with a focus on the Holy Family, surrounded by angels, shepherds, Wise Men, and animals, which are sheltered by a portal, which can take the shape of a cave, stone house or cabin.

Above the scene is a star, often with electric light.

Since the colonial period, a number of purely Mexican twists have been added, starting with the use of Spanish moss covering the base. The scene is missing the figure of the Child Jesus until Christmas Eve.

Although all other images are generally proportional to the rest of the scene, the image of Jesus is much larger, almost that of a life-sized baby. This image is not only central to the nativity scene but is also important to a tradition of bringing the image to church on February 2 to be blessed.

Traditional figures are made from ceramic or plaster. One of the more traditional areas that produce ceramic figures for nativity scenes in the Guadalajara area, especially the towns of Tonalá and Tlaquepaque.

From late November into December, the Tonalá market has dozens of stalls that sell nothing but supplies for nativity scenes. In addition to the more usual figures, Mexican nativity scenes have a number of unique ones.

These include native Mexican plants and animals such as nopal cactus and turkeys, women making tortillas, fish in a river (a reference to a popular Mexican carol), a crowing rooster (a reference to Christmas Eve), and even images of Lucifer to hide in the shadows (a reference to the Pastorelas).

Nativity scenes can be found in all sizes and complexities.

The large-scale nativity scenes can be quite elaborate, with multiple landscapes and even entire villages. These usually start with a base of sturdy brown paper, crumpled to simulate a landscape sometimes with the support of multi-tiered bases.

Over this base, moss, sawdust, sand, colored paper, paint, and more are used to recreate deserts, grasslands, rivers, and lakes.

Over these are a wide variety of structures and figures which can include houses, churches, wells, vendors with carts of fruits and vegetables, playing children, musicians, dancers, cooking food, and more, all surrounding the center which is the Holy Family.

The nativity scene of the main church in Chapala has featured imagery from all over the world including wooden shoes, an igloo, and figures to represent Africans and exotic animals.

History

Pastorelas, which roughly means “shepherds’ plays,” are theatrical works done by both amateur and professional groups during the Christmas season. The play first arrived in the New World in the early 1700s with the establishment of early Spanish missions.

The origins of this play are unknown other than it was orally passed down in Spain during Europe’s Medieval time period. In 1718, the Spanish friars settled along the San Antonio River as an establishment for the Native American inhabitants.

This play’s original purpose was to act as another method of Catholic conversion for the Native Americans.

Soon afterward there was a Spanish military settlement was established across the river and then in 1731, a group of Spanish colonists from the Canary Islands settled near these two communities along the river.

These three communities then formed what we know the area of San Antonio to be. This means that at the time there were three social classes that occupied the San Antonio region: Elite Spanish settlers, middle-class Mexican families, and poor Mexican workers.

Noting this current culture is vital to the perseverance of this tradition because this takes place right before the start of the East Coast, the white frontier-minded ideal of manifest destiny.

Originally descended from medieval Spain, this play is performed entirely in Spanish. It was not until the mid-1900s that a translator was used and it was not until 1913 that performances of Los Pastores made their way to Texas.

“Between 1893 and 1953, at least one hundred twenty-five copies of this play relating to Christ’s nativity have been discovered in the American Southwest and in Mexico”. They were originally developed as a didactic tool to teach the Christmas story.

Los Pastores is considered to be a nativity play that has been performed on Christmas Eve since the first recorded performance in 1721. In the play, the shepherds meet Michael the Archangel for the first time and begin their journey to meet Jesus.

Along the way, they encounter a hermit which is the comedic character in this play. He often carried around crosses made of corn cobs and constantly messed with the audience.

The shepherds and hermit then fall asleep and are tempted by the Devil, also known as Luzbel, and his demons who eventually try to lure him to hell instead of to baby Jesus. The shepherds are unable to see the devils, but the hermit carries a rosary that allows him to see.

The Archangel challenges the Devils, defeating them and driving them back into the inferno. The shepherds finally make it to Jesus and the congregation joins them in a hymn to praise the birth of Jesus!

The script of the plays is often improvised by the actors and varies immensely and can include elements such as jokes, jeers, slang, songs, bawdy humor, discussions, cigarettes, tequila, and even ladies of the evening, mostly focusing on the interaction with and struggle against Satan and his tricks.

The most traditional of these plays are found in rural areas. Variations exist from a focus on Mary and Joseph’s travel to Bethlehem, battles between the Archangel Michael and the Devil, and registering with authorities to even ones with feminist themes.

The Christmas season begins with celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint. On December 3, a nine-day novena is begun in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which ends on her feast day of December 12.

The most important event related to this time is the pilgrimage to her basilica in the north of Mexico City, with people coming to pay respects by all means of transportation from airplanes to bicycles to walking.

This pilgrimage is undertaken by a large number of Mexican Catholics, regardless of race or class. For example, every year hundreds of members of the Japanese-Mexican community (which is mainly Catholic) make the pilgrimage in kimonos.

The area in and around the basilica begins to crowd with lights, fireworks, and indigenous people dancing starting at dusk on December 11 and goes on all night and into the next day. This image of the Virgin Mary is honored in all of Mexico in various ways.

In the city of Oaxaca, the main event is at Parque Llano on December 11, with small boys dressed as Juan Diego at the church to be blessed. In the very early morning hours of the 12th, the song Las Mañanitas is sung to the Virgin Mary.

From December 16 to 24 there are a series of processions and parties called Las Posadas (from the word for inn), for many children the most anticipated part of the Christmas season. The tradition was begun by Spanish evangelists to teach the Christmas story to the indigenous people and ostensibly to substitute the rituals related to the birth of the god Huitzilopochtli.

Today they are most often performed in rural areas and in the lower-class neighborhoods of cities.

The first part consists of a procession. The most traditional version heads out after dark each of the nine evenings from a local church. A girl and boy are chosen to play Mary and Joseph in costume, sometimes with Mary riding a donkey.

The rest of the procession carries candles, paper lanterns, and/or decorated staves and often an empty manger. If no one is dressed as Mary and Joseph, the procession generally carries a nativity scene.

Las Posadas generally serve as a way to maintain community bonds with the neighborhood. In one variation, the procession arrives at a house and divides in two. One-half remain outside and sing a traditional song to ask for shelter.

The other sings the response from inside, and the ritual ends with everyone inside. The other variation has the procession go to three houses singing, two of which “reject” the party until the third house accepts.

The piñata started as a medium by which the Evangelists used to teach Christian beliefs to the natives. The traditional star-shaped piñata is still being broken by children during the Posadas. Like the procession, the Mexican piñata has symbolic and didactic meanings.

The vessel represents Satan who has all the goods of the world, decorated to attract people. There are most traditionally seven points to represent the seven cardinal sins. The stick represents the Christian faith to defeat evil and release the treasure for all.

After piñatas, there is a meal that usually includes tamales, atole, buñuelos, and a hot drink called “ponche”, which is made from seasonal fruits such as tejocote, guava, plum, mandarin orange, orange, and/or prune, sweetened with piloncillo, a kind of brown sugar, and spiced with cinnamon or vanilla.

For adults, rum or tequila may be added. Ponche recipes vary greatly in Mexico.

The Colima version usually includes milk, sugar, orange leaves, vanilla, and grated coconut.

At the end of a posada, guests received a small gift called an aguinaldo, usually a package with cookies, dried and fresh fruit, and candy. Then carols called villancicos are sung. A very old tradition has the song sung to the nativity scene to the newborn Child Jesus.

The last posada is early Christmas Eve. What follows is a late-night Mass called the Mass of the Rooster. It originated about six years after the arrival of the Spanish when Father Pedro de Gante began a celebration of Christmas with a late-night Mass.

The name comes from the tradition that the birth of Christ was announced by the crowing of a rooster.

The celebration became popular among the newly converted indigenous as it included elements from the old celebrations for the god Huitzilopochtli such as fireworks, torches, sparklers, and plays along with food and dancing.

Following the Mass, there is a traditional midnight feast. Traditional dishes include bacalao, reconstituted dried cod cooked with onions, tomato sauce, olives, and more. Another is “revoltijo de romerita, which is green in a mole or pepita sauce, with potatoes and often dried shrimp.

The most luxurious item on the menu used to be a suckling pig but this has mostly been replaced by turkey or ham. After dinner adults drink ponche or cider and children play with sparklers, called Luces de Belen (Bethlehem lights).

Christmas presents are usually opened at the stroke of midnight. The rest of Christmas Day is quiet in Mexico as families recuperate from the festivities the night before, often eating leftovers from the midnight dinner.

December 28 is Mexico’s version of April Fools’ Day called Los Santos Inocentes (The Sainted Innocents) originally to commemorate those boys killed by King Herod with the aim of avoiding the arrival of Christ.

It is also said that on this day one must borrow any item and not have to return it. In the 19th century, elaborate ruses would be concocted to get the gullible to lend things on this day.

If successful, the victorious prankster would send a note to the lender and a gift of sweets or small toys in memory of the children killed by Herod with the note saying “Innocent little dove who allowed yourself to be deceived, knowing that on this day, nothing should be lent.”

This then developed into a day of pranks in general.

This even includes newspapers printing false wild stories on that day. This is also celebrated online in recent years.

New Year’s Eve falls during this time as well. It is celebrated much like most of the rest of the world with some exceptions.

One notable tradition is the eating of twelve grapes rapidly along with the twelve chimes of the clock at midnight (a tradition shared with other Latin countries), to bring luck for each of the months of the coming year.

Fireworks are common and in very rural areas the festivities may include shots fired in the air as well. In some parts of Veracruz, December 31 is reserved to honor elderly men with the Fiesta del Hombre Viejo.

The next major event in the Christmas season is Epiphany called Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings’ Day).

This day celebrates when the Three Wise Men arrived to visit the Child Jesus bearing gifts. On the night of January 5, children traditionally leave a shoe by the doorway where the Wise Men will enter, although this is not done in all parts of Mexico.

Another variation of this is sending the note in a helium balloon into the sky. Inside is a thoughtful note explaining why they have been good or bad that year and the gifts they would like if deemed worthy.

In the morning after opening the presents, a round sweet bread called a rosca is served, it is baked with dried fruit and tiny images of the infant Jesus inside. Whoever gets one of these figures in his/her slice must pay for tamales for Candlemas on February 2.

The rosca is served with tamales and atole.

Candlemas is celebrated on February 2, as it commemorates the presentation of the Child Jesus to the temple. On this day, people bring their images of the Child Jesus to be blessed.

These are elaborately dressed, traditionally in christening gowns but many other costumes have since appeared as well. Afterward, tamales and atole are shared, purchased by the people who found the miniature Jesus images on January 6.

There are various regional Christmas season traditions. In Alvarado and Tlacotalpan, there is the Fiesta Negrohispana, which is a celebration of African identity in Mexico that runs from December 16 to the 24th.

In Oaxaca, a major event during this time is the feast day of the patroness of the state, the Virgin of Solitude on December 18. She is honored with precessions called calendas, with allegorical floats and costumes.

The traditional food for this is called buñuelos, a fried pastry covered in sugar.

In coastal areas, her image is often brought to shore by boat, accompanied by other boats with brass bands.

In the city of Oaxaca on December 23, there is a unique event called La Noche de Los Rabanos (Night of the Radishes).

Oversized radishes are carved into elaborate figures. Originally these were for nativity scenes but today there is a major competition in which the vegetables are carved in all kinds of figures.

In the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City, January 6 is important as the day that the best-known Child Jesus image, the Niñopa, changes “hosts” or the family that will take care of the over 400-year-old image for the year.

In the Nativitas section of the borough, there is a parade of the Wise Men, sometimes with real camels.

Cinco de Mayo has its roots in the Second French intervention in Mexico, which took place in the aftermath of the 1846–48 Mexican–American War and the 1858–61 Reform War.

The Reform War was a civil war that pitted Liberals (who believed in the separation of church and state, and freedom of religion) against Conservatives (who favored a tight bond between the Catholic Church and the Mexican state). These wars nearly bankrupted the Mexican Treasury.

On July 17, 1861, Mexican President Benito Juárez issued a moratorium in which all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years. In response, Britain, France, and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement.

Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to establish an empire in Mexico that would favor French interests, the Second Mexican Empire. The empire was part of an envisioned “Latin America” that would rebuild French influence in the American continent and exclude Anglophone American territories.

Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet attacked Veracruz, landing a large French force and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.

Moving on from Veracruz towards Mexico City, the French army encountered heavy resistance from the Mexicans close to Puebla, at the Mexican forts of Loreto and Guadalupe.

The French army of 8,000 attacked the poorly equipped Mexican army of 4,000. On May 5, 1862, the Mexicans decisively defeated the French army. The victory represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people at large and helped establish a sense of national unity and patriotism.

The Mexican victory, however, was short-lived. A year later, with 30,000 troops, the French were able to defeat the Mexican army, capture Mexico City, and install Emperor Maximilian I as ruler of Mexico.

The French victory was itself short-lived, lasting only three years, from 1864 to 1867. By 1865, with the American Civil War now over, the U.S. began to provide more political and military assistance to Mexico to expel the French.

Upon the conclusion of the American Civil War, Napoleon III, facing a persistent Mexican guerilla resistance, the threat of war with Prussia, and the prospect of a serious scrap with the United States retreated from Mexico starting in 1866.

The Mexicans recaptured Mexico City, and Maximilian I was apprehended and executed, along with his Mexican generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía Camacho in Cerro de las Campanas, Querétaro.

On June 5, 1867, Benito Juárez finally entered Mexico City where he installed a new government and reorganized his administration.

The celebration of the Day of the Dead in Mexico originated from ancient traditions of pre-Columbian culture. Rituals celebrating the death of ancestors were observed by these civilizations for perhaps 2,500–3,000 years.

The festival, which evolved into the modern Day of the Dead, fell on the 9th month of the Aztec calendar.

The festival took place around the beginning of August and was celebrated for a whole month. The celebrations were dedicated to the goddess known as the “Lady of the Dead”, corresponding to the modern La Calavera Catrina.

By the end of the 20th century, most regions of Mexico had developed the practice of honoring deceased children and infants on November 1 and honoring deceased adults on November 2.

November 1 is usually called Día de los Inocentes (“Day of the Innocents”), but also Día de los Angelitos (“Day of the Little Angels”); November 2 is called Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos (“Day of the Dead”).

The summary of the 3-day celebration, the Day of the Dead:

• October 31 (All Hallows Eve): Children make altars to invite the spirits of dead children to come back for a visit.
• November 1 (All Saints Day): Adult spirits will come to visit.
• November 2 (All Souls Day): Families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives.

The 3-day holiday is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing their favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed.

The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead.

During the three-day period families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with altars, which often include orange Mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchil. In modern Mexico, the marigold is sometimes called Flor de Muerto (Flower of Dead).

These flowers are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the offerings.

Toys are brought for dead children (“the little angels”), and bottles of tequila, mezcal, or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased’s favorite candies on the grave.

Some families have altars in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, “pan de muerto” (“bread of the dead”), sugar skulls, and beverages such as atole. Altars are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.

Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the “spiritual essence” of the altar food, so though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value.

Pillows and blankets are left out so the deceased can rest after their long journey.

In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro, and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the gravesite, as well.

Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes. These sometimes feature a Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other people, scores of candles, and offerings.

Families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead, some will also dress up as the deceased.

Public schools at all levels build altars with offerings, usually omitting religious symbols. Government offices usually have at least a small altar, as this holiday is seen as important to the Mexican heritage.

Those with a distinctive talent for writing sometimes create short poems, called calaveras (skulls), mocking epitaphs of friends, describing interesting habits and attitudes, or funny anecdotes.

This custom originated in the 18th or 19th century after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future, “and all of us were dead”, proceeding to read the tombstones.

Newspapers dedicate calaveras to public figures, with cartoons of skeletons in the style of the famous calaveras of José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican illustrator. Theatrical presentations of Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla are also traditional on this day.

José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure he called La Calavera Catrina (“The Elegant Skull”) as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female.

This striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances.

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull, which celebrants represent in masks, called “calacas” (colloquial term for “skeleton”), and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead.

Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include “pan de muerto”, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.

The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal, often varying from town to town. In the town of Pátzcuaro, the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult.

On November 1 of the year after a child’s death, the godparents set a table in the parents’ home with sweets, fruits, pan de muerto, a cross, a rosary (used to ask the Virgin Mary to pray for them), and candles.

This is meant to celebrate the child’s life, with respect and appreciation for the parents. There is also dancing in colorful costumes, often with skull-shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town.

At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats called “mariposas” (“butterflies”) to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there.

In contrast, the town of Ocotepec, north of Cuernavaca in the State of Morelos, opens its doors to visitors in exchange for small wax candles to show respect for the recently deceased.

In return, the visitors receive tamales and atole. This is done only by the owners of the house where someone in the household has died in the previous year. People arrive early to eat for free and enjoy altars set up to receive visitors.

In some parts of the country (where in recent years other customs have been displaced), children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people’s doors for a calaverita, a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it.

This relatively recent custom is similar to that of Halloween’s trick-or-treating in the United States.

Some people believe possessing Day of the Dead items can bring good luck.

Many people paint their faces or have dolls of the dead to carry with them. They also clean their houses and prepare the favorite dishes of their deceased loved ones to place upon their altar or offerings.

During the Day of the Dead festivities, food is eaten by living people and given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as offerings. Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for this day for both purposes.

Pan de Muerto and calaveras are associated specifically with the Day of the Dead. Pan de Muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and often decorated with bone-shaped phalanges pieces.

Calaveras, or sugar skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and individual personality of the departed.

Drinks are also important to the tradition of the Day of the Dead. Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque while today families will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors.

Other drinks associated with the holiday are atole and champurrado, warm, thick, non-alcoholic drinks.

Jamaica iced tea is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as flor de Jamaica in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice.

The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed into other deep traditions in honor of the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for educational purposes) in the nation’s schools.

Many families celebrate a traditional “All Saints’ Day” associated with the Catholic Church.

Dia de los Muertos in Belize

In Belize, the Day of the Dead is practiced by people of the Yucatec Maya ethnicity. The celebration is known as Hanal Pixan which means “food for the souls” in their language. Altars are constructed and decorated with food, drinks, candies, and candles put on them.

Dia de los Muertos in Guatemala

Guatemalan celebrations of the Day of the Dead feature the construction and flying of giant kites, and visits to grave sites. The flying of giant kites, often intricately decorated, is a symbolic way to communicate with the spirits of the departed.

These kites are believed to carry messages to the afterlife.

“Fiambre” is a central culinary element of the celebration. It’s a cold salad that combines a wide array of ingredients and flavors, representing a connection to the ancestors. The dish is made exclusively for the Day of the Dead.

Dia de los Muertos in the USA

In many USA communities with Mexican residents, Day of the Dead celebrations are very similar to those held in Mexico. In some states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the celebrations tend to be mostly traditional.

People bring offerings of flowers, photos, mementos, and food for their departed loved ones, which they place at an elaborately and colorfully decorated altar. A program of traditional music and dance also accompanies the community event.

Ixcateopan is 35 km away from Taxco, and it takes about 2 hours because it is a mountain, and the road has many curves. At that time there was no public transport, only taxis.

Those who are really interested in living the culture of authentic Mexicans should be in Ixcateopan from 12 at night.

The most important thing is from 00:00 o’clock at night until 14:00 o’clock in the afternoon of the day 23rd, so it is convenient to sleep in Ixcateopan, which only has a hotel with 8 rooms, so it is urgent to reserve, or to carry a tent because authorities enable land with security for those who sleep there but there are no public toilets.

There are also some private houses that on that day function as a hotel.

There are about 3 restaurants and about 5 houses that sell typical food like quesadillas cakes and small shops that sell cans of food, bread, and soda, so it is convenient to bring a small supply for dinner and breakfast even though the authorities distribute coffee and free bread are hundreds of people who come. They also offer a meal on the 23rd with a Rico Mole with chicken and tortillas.

There is a medical service and a small hospital in case it is offered.

Some stay until later or because they are allowed to sell their handicrafts, but tourists start to leave Ixcateopan because transportation from 16:00 is very requested and each vehicle only has a capacity for 12 people.

After 20:00 o’clock shops, shops, and generally have several fast Mexican food stalls such as tacos, etc. On the day from 05:00 in the morning there is public transportation to Taxco and Iguala, that day every hour, the trip takes 1 hour 40 min approx.

Originally called La Calavera Garbancera, the etching was created sometime between 1910 and 1913 by José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican political lithographer who used relief printing to produce popular illustrations.

José Guadalupe Posada Aguilar’s work has influenced numerous Latin American artists and cartoonists because of its satirical acuteness and social engagement. He used skulls (“calaveras”), and bones to convey political and cultural critiques.

La Calavera Catrina is among his most enduring works. This image made from zinc etching captures the famous “calavera” (“skull”) skeleton image that had become popular at the turn of the 20th century.

The original leaflet describes a person who was ashamed of his/her indigenous origins and dressed imitating the French style while wearing lots of makeup to make his/her skin look whiter.

This description also ties to the original name Garbancera, which became a nickname given to people of indigenous ancestry who imitated European style and denied their own cultural heritage.

La Catrina has become the referential image of Death in Mexico, it is common to see her embodied as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Dead throughout the country. She has become a motive for the creation of handicrafts made from clay or other materials, her representations may vary, as well as the hat.

While the original work by Posada introduced the character, the popularity of La Calavera Catrina, as well as her name, is derived from a work by artist Diego Rivera in his 1947 completed mural “Sueño de Una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central” (“Dream of a Sunday afternoon along Central Alameda”).

Rivera’s mural was painted between the years 1946 and 1947 and is the principal work of the “Museo Mural Diego Rivera” adjacent to the Alameda in the historic center of Mexico City. It measures 15 meters long and it stood at the end of Alameda Park.

The mural survived the 1985 earthquake, which destroyed the hotel, and was later moved across the street to the Museo Mural Diego Rivera, built after the earthquake for housing and displaying Rivera’s restored mural.

Rivera’s mural depicts a culmination of 400 years of Mexico’s major figures, which include himself, Posada, and his wife Frida Kahlo.

Rivera took inspiration from the original etching and gave Calavera a body as well as more of an identity in her elegant outfit as she is poised between himself and Posada.

The intent seemed to be to show the tradition of welcoming and comfort the Mexicans have with death and especially the identity of a Lady of the Dead, harking back to the heritage of the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl.

Catrina has come to symbolize not only El Día de Los Muertos and the Mexican willingness to laugh at death itself, but originally Catrina was an elegant or well-dressed woman, so it refers to rich people.

Death brings this neutralizing force; everyone is equal in the end. Sometimes people have to be reminded of that.

The culture of La Calavera Catrina has ties to political satire and is also a well-kept tradition as the original was inspired by the polarizing reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz, whose accomplishments in modernizing and bringing financial stability to Mexico pale against his government’s repression, corruption, extravagance, and obsession with all things European.

The concentration of fantastic wealth in the hands of the privileged few brewed discontent in the hearts of the suffering many, leading to the 1910 rebellion that toppled Diaz in 1911 and became the Mexican Revolution.

She also symbolizes the contrasts between the upper and lower classes, for times were cruel. The social classes were extremely segmented and the highest class was the most fortunate, enjoying many privileges; in contrast, the lower classes were nearly invisible.

To explain and rescue the folklore of worshiping the dead, while showing this off to high society, José Guadalupe Posada made caricatures of Death, one of these drawings being the famous “calavera” with an elegant hat, though only representing the head and bust with a sophisticated and skeletal essence.

Aztecs

The calavera’s ties to the past heritage of the Aztecs can be seen in various ways. The indigenous culture of skulls and the death-goddess Mictecacihuatl is common in pre-Columbian art.

Lady of the Dead, Mictecacihuatl, was the 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 toward death, which can be seen in the widespread commemoration of the Day of the Dead.

With Christian beliefs superimposed on the ancient rituals, those celebrations have evolved into today’s Day of the Dead.

Spain

As for the Spanish heritage (the death-orientation of the monastic orders, Dance of Death, and memento mori traditions), it blended with the average Mexican’s stoic, but far from humorless, view of death.

It should be noted that some find La Catrina to have closer ties to the Dance of Death than to the possible origins of the calavera in the art of ancient Mesoamerica.

La Catrina differs markedly from the rigid sobriety of skulls carved by the Aztecs or images of decomposing corpses depicted by the ancient Maya.

In prints and various other art forms associated with the Day of the Dead – everything from paper-mâché to “papel picado” (“perforated paper”) to sugar and chocolate—images of the calavera are unmistakably humorous.

The skeletons, often dressed in finery, move playfully and smile widely. In some ways, these animated figures are much closer visually to the European Dance of Death motif in which limber skeletons lead, lure, or drag unwitting mortals to their ends.

Mexico

Though these interpretations seem to ignore the full relationship that the Mexicans have with death, as well as the macabre humor that ties to the cycle of life, death, and ceremony that the Aztecs had, it should be understood that few countries pay homage to death the way Mexico does; offerings, songs, respect, and humor are all common Mexican expressions towards death.

The European ties are there both for comic effect as well as to depict the symbolic shell that Europe cloaked Mesoamerica in, but the native bones still lie within.

Purist

La Calavera Catrina today can be found in her more traditional form both in drawn works as well as sculptures made out of Oaxacan wood carvings, paper-mâché sculptures, majolica pottery, and Barro negro black clay pottery. She is also coupled with male skeletons.

Popular culture

Works such as the screen print Sun Mad (Raisins) by Ester Hernández in the Smithsonian American Art Museum show the influence of Posada’s earlier vision. The same might be said of the cover for Los Lobos’ album La Pistola y el corazón, which depicts a pistol-toting Catrina in a couple’s embrace.

A character based on La Catrina appears as a protagonist in the animated 2014 movie The Book of Life, where she is named “La Muerte” and is the queen of the deceased who is remembered by the living. She is referred to in the Latin American Spanish dub as “La Catrina”.

Two educational video series, La Catrina and La Catrina: El Úlitmo Secreto, were filmed in Mexico by Pearson Education, and include various program components. Both videos integrate language proficiency with culture and follow the journey of Jamie González as she searches for the secrets of her mysterious great-grandmother.

In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, during the first and second days of November, a Day of the Dead Celebration is held among the largest Capital Cities of the game.

Each city has a Catrina, represented as a dancing female undead NPC dressed in a mariachi outfit. If the player dances with her, his or her player character will also take the appearance of an undead character with a similar outfit.

In the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, creatures called Catrinas painlessly welcome into the afterlife those who cannot accept death. They are similar in appearance to La Catrina, wearing a festive dress and carrying a bouquet.

The upcoming Video Game Need for Speed: Payback Features a crew leader by the name of “La Catrina” as the leader of her crew “Graveyard Shift”. Her motto says “When you ride a Hundred Miles an hour, Every decision is Life and Death”.