Between Worlds: Honoring the Ancestors in Día de los Muertos

Many years ago, when I first began to feel called to Curanderismo and the rich traditions of Mexican culture and ceremony, I started to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

I loved the idea of honoring our ancestors and celebrating their lives by remembering them—their favorite foods, drinks, the things that they loved—and placing these offerings upon an altar.

Through the years of creating altars and learning from elders in Mexico, my understanding of Día de los Muertos has deepened. In Oaxaca, the heart of these sacred celebrations, the air itself carries the scent of cempasúchil (marigold), the flower that guides souls.

Its color calls in the light of the sun, while its fragrance leads the way. 

The calendas—traditional processions alive with music, dance, and joy—bring the spirit of remembrance into the streets.

Spending time in the camposantos (cemeteries) and experiencing the deep reverence the families have for their ancestors, and how they celebrate them is deeply moving. They decorate their loved ones’ graves as living altars with flowers, candles, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, photos, sacred items, food, and drinks. They have a fiesta - playing music and dancing all night. They cry and hold vigil. It’s all about bringing the community together in a celebration of life and death.

It’s a joyous occasion, and the energy is palpable.

In Mexico, the altars are usually built with three levels, which honor the celestial realms, the earth, and the underworld—all joined together in one offering of remembrance. On October 31st, families hold vigil for the babies who were never born, scattering paths of marigold petals from the doorway to the altar so the souls of the little ones (angelitos) may find their way home. November 1st is El Día de los Angelitos, the day of the children. November 2nd honors the adults who have passed. And on November 3rd, the souls return to Mictlán (the Nahuatl name for the Aztec underworld, the sacred place of rest), their spirits fed by the essences and smells until the following year.

A word and brief history of La Catrina—the elegant woman who reminds us that death is the great equalizer. 

When death comes, we all look the same. La Catrina was first created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s as a satirical image mocking the wealthy elite who denied their Indigenous roots and tried to imitate European styles. Later, artist Diego Rivera reimagined her in his mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, giving her the iconic presence we know today. Though she appears graceful and adorned, her roots come from the pain and resistance of the Mexican people—a reminder that beneath the finery, death makes us all equal. Be yourself, live fully, and remember where La Catrina was born—from the struggle, resilience, and spirit of the people.

✚ With Respect & Reverence ✚

Amy Maria