Definition of Altar of the Dead

Veneration and worship of the dead is a manifestation remote symbolic and is considered by anthropologists as one of the cultural elements of the first human civilizations. However, in some territories, mortuary rituals acquire a special meaning and are part of everyday life. This is what happens with everything that surrounds death in Mexico and, especially, with the altars of the dead.

For Mexicans, November 2 is the day that the dead have to be honored. Prior to this day, All Saints' Day is commemorated and during it an altar with offerings is raised, a demonstration cultural which is considered by UNESCO as Heritage of Humanity.

The origin of tradition

In pre-Hispanic Mexico, the different civilizations believed that the place where someone had died should be respected and, therefore, could not be inhabited. According to the pre-Hispanic vision, the fact of dying meant the beginning of a journey to the realm of the dead.

Upon reaching his destination (known by the term Mictlán) the traveler made an offering to the lord of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli, who subsequently sent the dead to a region in which he remained for a time until he finally reached the eternal break.

On the day of the burial, an altar was built with objects of the deceased and with elements that he could use on his imminent journey. Starting in the 17th century, the conquerors introduced their Catholic vision of death, but the pre-Hispanic traditions did not disappear. Thus, there was a fusion of the two cultures (what is commonly known as religious syncretism) and this resulted in the celebration of the day of the dead with elements of the two traditions.

The meaning of the altar of the dead

In Mexico there is no single altar model, but all its variants are an allegory of death.

On the Day of the Dead there is the belief that the dead come back to life to live with the family during the celebration day and for this reason an altar is decorated. Normally the altar is installed in a room and a table with different levels is used. If there are two levels, heaven and earth are represented and if there are three, purgatory is included. However, the traditional altar is the one with seven levels, which symbolize the stages necessary to achieve eternal rest.

To prepare an altar for the dead, a series of elements are used: each step is covered with black cloth and white, the image of a saint of whom you have devotion is placed, salt, bread, water and a series of food that were liked by the deceased, as well as photographs of the deceased, some candles, a Christian cross and skulls distributed by the different levels of the altar. The decorative elements symbolically evoke the indigenous world and the Catholic world.

The altar of the dead is, in short, a expression cultural that highlights the way of understanding death for Mexicans, who consider that death is not something tragic but has a festive component. Thus, the altar has an ingredient playful and, at the same time, it is a metaphor of life itself, that is, a place of transit that leads us towards death.

Photos: Fotolia - zsuriel / lana_samcorp