Classroom Activity: Making an Altar for the Day of the Dead

An altar created for the Day of the Dead. Image source. About the photograph

The best activity you can undertake for the Day of the Dead is to create the traditional altar, or ofrenda. As highlighted in the essay, Dando Vida a la Muerte, the Mexican Day of the Dead altar has roots in the pre-Hispanic and Spanish-Catholic practices. In Mexico, people believe that creating an altar helps to ensure good relations between the family on earth and the family in the afterworld. Entire families as well as entire villages construct altars annually. Now it is becoming more prevalent in urban areas to find altars built in parks, schools, government buildings, and even offices. These are often erected to honor famous Mexican historical figures such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Emiliano Zapata, or Benito Juarez. In the United States, many communities and art centers are either building altars or asking artist to design altars. Last year, Day of the Dead celebrations took place in the United States in museums in Chicago, Washington, New York, and San Francisco. Many places in North Carolina are also joining in with the local Latino population to create Day of the Dead altars and ceremonies. This phenomenon is discussed in the video La Ofrenda, which can be borrowed as part of the project The Changing Face of Mexico.

Objects found on the altars in Mexico vary according to village, regional traditions, and often a family’s income. They can be very elaborate or rather simple. However, all altars should include certain objects that will be outlined below. In order to make an altar in your school, you should start with a table placed against a wall to which can be added various levels, perhaps made out of cardboard boxes or wooden boxes depending on what is available. An altar will be more attractive if it has several levels because more objects can be incorporated within the space. Altars can be framed with six to ten foot high canopies of braided cornstalks, sugar cane, or bamboo. They can then be hung with garlands of flowers, peanuts, vegetables, or fruits. You will need to cover the bare altar with pieces of colorful cloth material, paper tablecloths, or even oilcloth as used in many Mexican villages. Then you can place the objects on the altars in any order preferred. These items can be purchased or, better yet, made by students and faculty. You might want to consider making this activity a joint project with several departments.

When creating the altar, do use some of the objects listed below, but also be inventive and make it your own altar. It may not be possible to recreate the Day of the Dead as it is celebrated in Mexico, but by drawing on its rich and colorful traditional folklore, you can begin some new traditions of your own.

Following are some objects to consider when creating a Day of the Dead Altar. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are central to a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead altar.

Portrait of the Virgin Guadalupe, Patron Saint of Mexico
Flowers:
- the cempasuchil flower or orange marigold, which is considered the traditional Aztec flower of the Toltec goddess, Xochiquetazl, the guardian of the graves.*
- Trail of Cempasuchil flowers to lead the dead to the home and altar
- baby’s breath
- wild purple orchids
- coxcombs
- white amaryllis
Traditionally orange has been the color of the dead along with purple, white, gold, black, and pink, as seen in the other important flowers
Copal in an incense burner. Copal is a tree resin, sweetened by mixing it with sage and grass. If copal is not available, use any incense.*
Water, in case the spirits are thirsty from their long journey.*
Photographs of loved ones.*
Food. Some Mexican food such as tamales, mole, beans, tacos, tortillas, and salsa as well as special U.S. foods preferred by the departed. Fruits and squashes, pumpkins, etc. can be added as well.* You can also use our recipes for the pan de muerto, which is very traditional.
Soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Orange Crush, etc.; you can also purchase Jarritos, a Mexican soda, at your local Latino store.
Toys and candy for children.
Money to remind us that even if we need money we must also be generous with it.
Other religious symbols such as crosses and icons of saints.
Candles of all sizes.* The votive candles found in many Mexican stores which have Catholic saints on them may be appropriate and lend an authentic touch.

Other altar traditions from pre-Columbian times are:

A frog, which generally represents fertility and also represents the twilight of each day.
A feather of a rooster to remind us of dawn.
A mirror to remember the duality of life and death.
Calaveras, or skulls.* In pre-Columbian times the skulls were symbols of death and sacrifice. They are now satirical and comic.

By using four levels for the altar and the objects listed below you can incorporate some important Aztec symbolism:

4 seasons
4 directions of the earth
4 stages of life (corn in its four stages representing birth, childhood, adult life, and death)
4 elements (wind-flute, fire-candles, water-shell, and earth-seeds)