kmschlatter@thencepartners.chDía de los Muertos
A Cultural Guide for Educators
Target Audience: K-5th Grade Teachers and Educators
Purpose: To provide accurate, culturally respectful context for classroom discussions and activities celebrating Día de los Muertos.
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a vibrant Mexican celebration that honors deceased loved ones on November 1st and 2nd. Unlike Halloween, which focuses on scary themes, Día de los Muertos is a joyful reunion between the living and the dead—a time when families believe their departed relatives return to celebrate with them.
Indigenous Roots
Día de los Muertos traces back to the indigenous peoples of central and southern Mexico, particularly the Aztec civilization. Long before Spanish colonizers arrived in 1519, the Aztecs honored Mictecacihuatl (meek-teh-kah-SEE-waht-l), the goddess of death and the underworld.
- The Aztecs celebrated Mictecacihuatl for an entire month (roughly late July to early August in our calendar)
- Aztec mythology taught that Mictecacihuatl and her husband collected bones to return them to the living world for restoration
- The Aztecs buried their dead with food and precious objects to appease these underworld deities
- This celebration existed for many centuries, possibly originating with the Toltec people even before the Aztec empire
Cultural Blending: Spanish Colonial Period
When Spanish conquistadors invaded Mexico in the early 1500s, they attempted to eliminate indigenous religious practices. However, Mexican indigenous peoples resisted by blending their traditions with imposed Catholic practices—a phenomenon that shaped modern Mexican culture.
The Compromise:
- Spanish colonizers moved the indigenous death celebrations from summer to early November
- This timing aligned with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day (collectively called Allhallowtide)
- The holiday became nominally Catholic, but many indigenous practices remained
- This cultural synthesis is what we celebrate today as Día de los Muertos
Essential Facts at a Glance
Key Dates:
- October 31: Families begin celebrations with graveside vigils
- November 1: Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels) – honors deceased children
- November 2: Día de los Muertos – honors deceased adults
5 Essential Words:
- Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead celebration (Nov 1-2)
- Ofrenda: Altar with photos, food, and meaningful objects
- Cempasúchil: Mexican marigolds that guide spirits home
- Calavera: Decorative skull (not scary—celebratory!)
- Pan de Muerto: Special sweet bread shared with family
3 Key Symbols:
- 🌼 Marigolds: Orange flowers whose scent guides spirits home
- 💀 Sugar Skulls: Colorful, decorated treats representing loved ones
- 🕯️ Candles: Light to guide spirits on their journey
3 Key DOs:
- ✓ Emphasize this is joyful, not scary
- ✓ Explain the indigenous Aztec origins
- ✓ Connect to universal themes of remembrance
3 Key DON’Ts:
- ✗ Don’t conflate with Halloween
- ✗ Don’t treat as “spooky” or scary
- ✗ Don’t do crafts without cultural context
Día de los Muertos is a joyful Mexican celebration with ancient Aztec roots where families believe deceased loved ones return home to reunite and celebrate together on November 1st and 2nd.
Traditional Elements with Indigenous Origins:
Ofrendas (Altars)
- Home altars decorated to welcome deceased loved ones
- May have originated from pre-Hispanic household altars used for rituals and ancestor communication
- Contain offerings: favorite foods, drinks, photos, and personal items of the deceased
Cempasúchil (Mexican Marigolds)
- Vibrant orange flowers that bloom in fall
- Aztec name: cempasúchil
- According to myth, their sweet smell awakens and guides the dead home
- Used to decorate altars, graves, and create pathways
Calaveras (Decorative Skulls and Skeletons)
- Artistic representations of skeletons enjoying the afterlife
- Roots in Aztec depictions of gods in skeletal form
- Not meant to be scary—they’re celebratory and often whimsical
- Sugar skulls are handmade treats decorated with colorful icing
Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
- Special sweet bread prepared for the holiday
- Often shaped to represent bones
- Shared among families and left as offerings
Alebrijes
- Fantastical, colorful spirit animals
- Featured prominently in Disney/Pixar’s “Coco” (2017)
- Part of Mexico City’s massive annual parade
What Families Do:
October 31st: Families often begin celebrations with overnight vigils at gravesites
November 1st: Traditionally honors deceased children (Día de los Inocentes or Día de los Angelitos)
November 2nd: Honors deceased adults
Throughout these days, families:
- Clean and decorate graves with marigolds and candles
- Build ofrendas in their homes
- Share stories and memories of departed loved ones
- Prepare favorite foods of the deceased
- Celebrate with music, dancing, and community gatherings
Día de los Muertos in the United States
Historical Presence
Spanish colonizers and indigenous peoples brought Día de los Muertos traditions to what is now the U.S. Southwest in the late 1700s. Communities in California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico have celebrated for centuries, with the tradition evolving alongside Mexican-American communities.
Regional Differences
- Southwest/Border States: Multi-generational family traditions, community processions to cemeteries, established cultural festivals
- Major Urban Areas: Large public festivals, museum exhibitions, cultural center events, community altar displays
- Other Regions: Educational focus in schools, cultural awareness events, newer community celebrations
Contemporary U.S. Celebrations
- Public altars in museums, libraries, and cultural centers
- Community festivals with traditional food, music, and dance
- School cultural awareness activities and assemblies
- Marigold planting in community gardens
- Film screenings and discussions (especially Disney/Pixar’s “Coco”)
- Face painting workshops (traditional calavera designs)
For Teachers in Diverse Communities
- Not all Mexican-American families celebrate this tradition
- Some families have celebrated for generations in the U.S.; others may be reconnecting with traditions
- Regional practices vary widely across Mexico and the U.S.
- Urban celebrations may differ from family-focused rural observances
Respectful Participation vs. Appropriation
When teaching in non-Mexican communities:
- Center Mexican and Mexican-American voices and resources
- Provide accurate historical and cultural context
- This is cultural education, learning about the tradition respectfully
- Connect to universal themes: all cultures have ways of honoring the deceased
- Invite community members to share their personal experiences
- Avoid “Halloween-ifying” the celebration or treating it as exotic
- Use authentic resources from Mexican and Mexican-American sources
Choose your grade level below to see age-appropriate vocabulary and symbol explanations. Each level builds on the previous one.
Focus for K-1: Concrete, visible items with simple explanations. Emphasize that this celebration is happy, not scary!
Essential Words:
A happy celebration to remember people we love who have died. It happens on November 1st and 2nd.
A special table with pictures and favorite things of people we remember.
Bright orange and yellow flowers that smell nice. Families use them to decorate.
Colorful skulls made of sugar. They are decorated and pretty—not scary!
Sweet bread that families share together. It’s a special treat!
Lights that help guide spirits to find their way home to visit their families.
Important Symbols:
Bright orange flowers that smell good and make people happy.
Colorful decorations that look like smiling skulls. Families decorate them with icing and pretty colors.
Pictures of people the family wants to remember and celebrate.
Lights that make everything bright and help show the way.
- Use “Can you say it with me?” for pronunciation practice
- Show big, colorful pictures of each item
- Play matching games: Spanish word to picture
- Emphasize: “This is a happy time, not a scary time”
- Connect to their world: “Like when we light birthday candles”
Focus for 2-3: Add cultural context and explain the “why” behind the items. Students can understand blending of traditions.
Includes all K-1 vocabulary plus:
Additional Words:
Skeleton decorations that are shown dancing, eating, or celebrating. They show that spirits are happy in the afterlife!
The Aztec name for marigolds. The Aztec people used these flowers in their celebrations thousands of years ago.
Colorful paper decorations with cut-out designs. They wave in the breeze and show that life is always moving.
Special incense that smells good. The Aztec people used it in their ceremonies, and families still use it today.
The Aztec goddess of death and the underworld. This celebration started as a way to honor her.
Magical, colorful spirit animals. They look like imaginary creatures with bright colors!
Salt on the altar helps season the food and also represents purification (making things clean and pure).
Deeper Symbol Meanings:
Their strong smell and bright orange color create a path to guide spirits back home to their families.
To remember specific people. Sometimes families write names on them to honor someone special.
Spirits get thirsty after their long journey, so families leave water for them to drink.
Families put out favorite foods of people who died. The spirits enjoy the smell and essence of the food.
- Purple: Shows grief and sadness (it’s okay to be sad sometimes)
- Orange/Yellow: Represents the sun, light, and marigolds
- Pink: Shows celebration and happiness
- White: Represents purity and hope
Understanding Cultural Blending:
When Spanish people came to Mexico about 500 years ago, they tried to stop indigenous (native) Mexican traditions. But Mexican people were smart! They combined their Aztec traditions with new Spanish Catholic traditions. That’s why the celebration moved from summer to November (to match Catholic holidays), but kept the Aztec symbols like marigolds and skulls.
- Compare to students’ own family traditions: “How does your family remember people?”
- Introduce the concept: “This celebration is thousands of years old”
- Use Venn diagrams to compare Halloween vs. Día de los Muertos
- Create simple timelines showing Aztec → Spanish → modern traditions
- Emphasize that indigenous people kept their culture alive by blending traditions
Focus for 4-5: Historical context, cultural resistance, proper terminology, and critical thinking about cultural preservation.
Includes all K-1 and 2-3 vocabulary plus:
Advanced Vocabulary:
“Day of the Little Angels” – November 1st specifically honors children who have died. November 2nd honors adults.
Aztec skull racks that stored thousands of human skulls in their capital city. Shows how important skulls were in Aztec culture.
The Catholic holidays (All Saints’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day) that happen October 31-November 2. Spanish colonizers moved indigenous celebrations to match these dates.
When two cultures blend together to create something new. Día de los Muertos is an example of indigenous Aztec and Spanish Catholic traditions combining.
The language the Aztec people spoke. Words like “cempasúchil” come from Nahuatl.
Full Symbol Context with History:
Many Aztec gods were depicted as skeletal figures. The goddess Mictecacihuatl was often shown with flayed (removed) skin and a skeletal jaw. Bones represented the cycle of death and rebirth—not something to fear, but part of life’s natural pattern.
Aztec Philosophy: “To the Aztecs, life was a dream, and death was waking up.” This shows they saw death very differently than many cultures do today.
Aztecs believed the deceased had to journey through nine levels of the underworld. Water on altars refreshes spirits after this long, difficult journey. This shows respect and care for ancestors.
- Black: Represents the Land of the Dead and pre-Hispanic religions (used as background, not primary)
- Purple: From Catholic calendar – represents pain, suffering, grief, and mourning
- Pink: Celebration and joy (shows both happiness AND sadness can exist together)
- White: Purity, hope, and the spirit world
- Yellow/Orange: Marigolds, the sun, and light (indigenous origins)
- Red: Blood – means different things to different traditions (Catholic: blood of Christ; Indigenous: life blood of humans and animals)
Celebrations vary across Mexico—what families do in Oaxaca might be different from Mexico City or Michoacán. Even within Mexican-American communities in the U.S., traditions vary by region and family.
Historical Timeline:
- Pre-1427: Indigenous peoples (possibly Toltecs) celebrate death goddess, likely in late July/early August
- 1427-1519: Aztec Empire formalizes month-long celebration of Mictecacihuatl
- 1519: Spanish conquistadors arrive, attempt to eliminate indigenous religious practices
- 1500s-1700s: Cultural blending occurs—indigenous people preserve traditions by combining with Catholic holidays
- Late 1700s: Traditions brought to U.S. Southwest (California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico)
- Today: Celebrated across Mexico, U.S., and internationally with both traditional and contemporary elements
Understanding Cultural Resistance:
When Spanish colonizers tried to destroy indigenous culture, Mexican people found creative ways to resist. They:
- Kept their symbols (marigolds, skulls, offerings) but reframed them within Catholic context
- Moved celebration dates to align with Catholic calendar while maintaining indigenous practices
- Blended La Virgen de Guadalupe (uniquely Mexican Virgin Mary) with indigenous beliefs
- Preserved Nahuatl words and concepts
- Passed traditions through families even when officially discouraged
This teaches us: Cultural identity is resilient. People find ways to preserve what matters to them even under pressure to change.
- Discuss: “Why did indigenous people blend their traditions instead of losing them completely?”
- Compare to other examples of cultural resistance throughout history
- Explore: “What does this teach us about different cultural perspectives on death?”
- Research project: How do different cultures around the world honor the deceased?
- Critical thinking: “How is cultural appropriation different from cultural appreciation?”
- Timeline creation activity showing evolution from Aztec to modern celebrations
- Interview family members about their own remembrance traditions
