The tradition of Día de Los Muertos , or Day of the Dead, grew out of a combination of Indian beliefs and the European Christianity brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Native American peoples have long seen death as one transition in a continuum; for centuries, the Aztec, Toltec and Maya buried their dead in earthenware pots full of food and jewelry so the person would have all that they might need in their next life.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on November 1st and 2nd every year. The Mexican people believe the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31st, and for 24 hours angelitos —the spirits of deceased children—are allowed to rejoin their families. The modern celebration, which is very expensive for many indigenous villagers, involves making offerings of food, flowers, and other items at an altar in honor of a loved one who has died.

Altars are always adorned with yellow orange marigolds ( Zempasuchitl ), the traditional pre-Columbian flower of the dead. In addition to flowers, the altar is decorated with fruit, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), pictures of Saints, sugar or papier-mâché skulls and skeletons, chocolate, photographs of the dead, and candles.

People traditionally spend the night in the graveyard by their family member's tomb, cleaning it and decorating it. The cemetery itself becomes a site of great celebration on this special day.

Articles made for the Day of the Dead celebration can be found in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.