Dia de Los Muertos

The Day of the Dead is a celebration of Mexican and Mexican American culture that takes place on the 1st and 2nd of November. During these days the graves of loved ones are decorated, special foods like pan de muerto are cooked, and ofrendas (home altars with a collection of objects placed on a ritual display) are built to honor the dead.

This celebration began in the 1500s and has its origins in a mixture of Mesoamerican and Spanish cultures and beliefs. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada was the first to create the image of the skeleton as a unique iconography of the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a celebration to remember and commemorate the lives of loved ones who have parted and to maintain their memory with us. Today, the Day of the Dead continues to be celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican Americans across Mexico and the United States and is starting to be celebrated globally.

We will celebrate and remember the lives lost this year including those who died due to the pandemic. Read the timeline of events.

Karina Fuentes
Associate director of intercultural development