Flashback Friday: Dia de los Muertos

Blogs across the Smithsonian will give an inside look at the Institution’s archival collections and practices during a month long blog-a-thon in celebration of October’s American Archives Month. See additional posts from our other participating blogs, as well as related events and resources, on the Smithsonian’s Archives Month website.

Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls, Puebla, Mexico, 1973. Photograph by Flora Kaplan (S12638). Flora Kaplan collection.  National Museum of the American Indian, Archive Center

While some of us are gearing up for Halloween, making costumes and purchasing candy, many folks in Mexico are preparing to celebrate el Dia de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead. Prior to Spanish colonization in Mexico, pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Aztec, celebrated and honored the dead in a month long festival beginning in August. In an attempt to Christianize the indigenous rituals associated with honoring the dead, the Spaniards moved the festival to November 1st and November 2nd to coincide with All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s day. Today, the Day of the Dead is a national holiday in Mexico and is celebrated throughout the country with a variety of practices that merge both indigenous traditions and Catholic theologies. 

During the 1970’s Flora Kaplan witnessed and photographed many of the Day of the Dead traditions in the state of Puebla in East-Central Mexico. Though Kaplan was primarily in Mexico researching the techniques and lifestyles of Mexican potters, she took thousands of photographs documenting daily life in Puebla as well as in Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Veracruz. These photographs, along with a small amount of manuscript material, are now held in the NMAI Archive Center as part of the Flora S. Kaplan collection. Kaplan’s photographs highlight many of the traditional ways the Day of the Dead is celebrated. For instance, flowers, particularly the Mexican cempasúchitl (marigolds), are placed on graves to honor the dead along with other favorite items of the deceased.  

Women buying marigolds in the market for the Festival of the Dead, Puebla, Mexico, 1973. Photograph by Flora Kaplan (S13628). Flora Kaplan collection. National Museum of the American Indian, Archive Center

Graves covered with flowers for the Day of the Dead celebrations, Puebla, Mexico, 1973. Photograph by Flora Kaplan (S13629). Flora Kaplan collection. National Museum of the American Indian, Archive Center

Ofrendas, or altars, in the home will often include food offerings such as pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and sugar skulls. Other items are often added to the ofrenda, like a toy for a deceased child, or a bottle of Tequila for an adult, These items are meant to create a welcoming environment for the spirit of the deceased. 

Ofrenda for Day of the Dead celebrations, Puebla, Mexico, 1973. Photograph by Flora Kaplan (S15377). 
Flora Kaplan collection. National Museum of the American Indian, Archive Center

Although the holiday originated in Mexico its traditions have spread to many other countries including the United States. The National Museum of the American Indian celebrates the Day of the Dead with a family festival where children and adults can share food, music and even make their own sugar skulls. 

Rachel Menyuk, Archives Technician
National Museum of the American Indian, Archive Center