How to Make Your Own Altar de Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday that celebrates the journey our loved ones make to visit us. It is a festive day filled with food, music, parades, and remembrance. I currently live in Tucson, Arizona, but I spent my formative years growing up in the vibrant communities of Calexico, California and Mexicali, Baja California Norte. There, I was surrounded by my culturally-rich Mexican family. Since we lived so close to the border, Día de Muertos was a big holiday for us. I have beautiful memories of my family visiting my Tata at the cemetery in Mexicali with my dad’s side of the family. We would wash his gravesite with a bucket of soapy water, arrange flowers, and we would just hang out recounting stories. I enjoyed listening to my dad, uncles, and aunt tell stories of their youth with their dad. I remember looking around and seeing other families doing the same thing for their family members. The cemetery wasn’t a place to fear, but rather, a place filled with love and everlasting memories.
Now, I have my own family, and each year, we keep the tradition alive by putting up our own altar in our home. Although ours is but a humble altar, yours doesn’t have to be! Below, you will find a guide on all the elements that make up the altar and what they mean or what purpose they serve.
When should you put up your altar?
It is recommended that you put up the altar before the 27th of October for each day, starting with the 27th, has a different dedication. It is also recommended that you place your altar facing where the sun sets. These are the meanings behind each day:
27th of October: Day to honor our pets
28th of October: Day to honor our loved ones that died in a tragic manner.
29th of October: Day to honor spirits that have been forgotten in purgatory.
30th & 31st of October: Day to honor any infants that passed before being baptized.
1st of November: Día de Todos Los Santos…day to honor loved ones that were children when they passed.
2nd of November: Día de Muertos…day to honor our adult loved ones.
Levels
Traditionally, an altar has seven levels. This comes from the Mexica (Nahuatl-speaking Aztec people) tradition of the steps a soul needs to take in order to make it to their eternal rest. Each level must contain something specific. These are the levels and what they should have:
Level 1: Image of a Saint
Level 2: This level is dedicated to the spirits in purgatory. This step symbolizes the permission they have to get out of purgatory.
Level 3: Place salt on this level. Salt is believed to purify. In this case, it is purifying the spirits of children and helps prevent corruption in spirits.
Level 4: Place “Pan de Muerto” on this level. Pan de muerto is typically made for this holiday. Its circle shape symbolizes the circle of life and death. It also has a cross to symbolize the four directions. A good recipe I have found is from Dora’s Table and you can find it here.
Level 5: This is where you place your loved ones’ favorite foods.
Level 6: This is where you place your loved one’s photographs.
Level 7: This is where you place a cross. The cross is composed of seeds, fruits, ashes, or lime (not the fruit). This helps our loved ones atone their mistakes.
Other Items and their meanings
A white tablecloth - represents purity.
A glass of water - water is considered the fountain of life and is there for when our loved ones get thirsty during their journey.
Candles - light for them to see the way here and back.
Cempasúchil (Mexican marigold) - this helps create a road for our loved ones to find their way back to us.
Incense - helps purify and ward off bad spirits.
Wreath of flowers - represents the entrance into the world of the living and welcomes our loved ones.
A figure of a Xoloitzcuintle dog (Mexican hairless dog) - this is for young/child spirits to play with.
Sugar skulls - represents death and the destiny that awaits us all.
A “petate” - this is mat made of grass or palm leaves in case our loved ones get tired, they can take a “siesta”.
Salt - helps purify and prevents corruption in souls during their journey here and back for the following year.
Pan de muerto - as mentioned above, this symbolizes the circle of life and death and provides directions for our loved ones.
Papel picado (perforated paper) - these symbolize the wind and represent a celebration for our loved ones. Each color means something different:
Orange: grief, respect for the dead, and it is believed that orange is the only color that the dead can see
Purple: represents the Catholic religion
Blue: those that died in water
White: purity in children that have passed
Green: our teens that have passed
Red: blood, soldiers and women during childbirth that have passed
Yellow: for our elderly that has passed
Pink: the land of México
Black: the underworld
I hope this helps you create your own altar for your departed loved ones. Don’t stress if yours is more on the humble side like mine, just make sure you make your altar with love and respect for the culture. I invite you to partake in the beauty of this Mexican holiday and guide your loved ones as they make their journey back to our world.
