How it all Began

Dia de los Muertos originates in a time preceding the Spanish conquest of Meso-America in the 1500’s. This is evidenced through oral tradition, as well as rich archaeological finds over the last several centuries. Rituals and celebrations of death and afterlife existed in the many cultures pre-Hispanic cultures, including; Olmec, Toltec, Aztec and the Maya.

The ritual of Dia de los Muertos, as we know it, has experienced a number of transformations in the last 500 years due to Spanish influence, and a tourism explosion in the last 30-40 years.

As the colonizing Spanish began enforcing Christianity throughout “New Spain,” any means possible to indoctrinate the indigenous populations were employed. Many readily accepted the beliefs of the more powerful Spanish, and many would not. However, the Christian holidays All Saints Day and All Souls Day seemingly synchronized with indigenous beliefs in that both cultures celebrated the immortal nature of the soul.

Inevitably, the conquered landscape soon began to change. Through conquest, war, insufferable poverty and the introduction of smallpox and influenza by Europeans, Mexican's have had no choice but to adapt to a world seemingly outside of their control. Exchanging pre-Hispanic gods and spirits for the Christian Trinity, Jesus, Mary and the Saints, the indigenous population’s veneration
of the dead remains the same to this day.

Contemporary celebrations of Dia de los Muertos have been profoundly impacted by tourism. While vendors, for hundreds of years, have provided goods related to the ritual, there has been an explosion of popularity in the last thirty to forty years. Markets now pulsate with excitement in the weeks surrounding Dia de los Muertos. Calaveras, sugar skulls, and even hints of Halloween crowd the markets. And tourists come from all over the globe, descending on the most popular sites: Oaxaca, Patzcuaro, and Mixquic.

Mexico depends on the revenue created by Dia de los Muertos tourism. And the impact has been great in metropolitan areas, i.e. cemetery admission, etc. However, many regions still celebrate the ritual every year, quietly, as they have from the very beginning.

Click here to read more about pre-Hispanic civilizations