Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico City

How to build an altar that honors your influencers

When people imagine Mexico, they almost never think of diversity. Violence, crime, or tacos, sure, but celebration of diversity is not usually high on the list. Day of the Dead is a time when people lay out their influences for the world to see, by setting up altars that are not only honoring their dead relatives, but also recognizing their own cultural influences. It’s a really nice reminder that our lives are made up of the people who we loved and learned from. To build an altar, you have to break away from the American concept of a memorial.

The first step in getting less morbid is to think beyond your direct relatives, to the people who made your life possible not just genetically, but culturally. This is an altar built by a LGBT awareness group in the middle of Metro Insurgentes, one of the busiest commuter zones in the city. Note the photos of rights activitsts.

As an American, the use of skulls and skeletons takes some getting used to. We hide death away, and may have a somber event to recognize the anniversary of someone’s death or photos on a shelf, but death is represented in black. Day of the Dead is a colorful celebration to remember and honor all the people that make you who you are. Well, not just the people. Here’s a community altar to pets in Condesa, a posh neighborhood:

Community altars such as this one for pets really fascinate me. Many altars are built within homes, or at gravesites, but these community altars are added to by residents. Here people have brought photos of beloved pets which, in a small neighborhood such as Condesa, it’s likely the people passing by will recognize. Can you think of anything more celebratory of life and community than this? It makes my heart fuzzy.

In La Roma, another fashionable but more bohemian neighborhood, the central blocks of Alvaro Obregon are set aside for the altars of community groups. This is a classic setup, with provisions for the dead. Sugar bread and tequila or mezcal are practically required, but it’s fun to spot the personal elements. Based on the box to the right of the incense urn, someone liked hot chocolate.

If you’ve ever tried to discreetly adjust your underwear in Mexico City, you’ve realized quickly that you’re never alone. This applies in death also. People can interact on your altar:

This isn’t to say that crime and violence are ignored. Some groups use their altars for political messages, such as to stop smoking, or a reminder of the drug war deaths. This is more installation than altar. It gave me chills:

But one altar down, some fun for basketball fans:

Mexican markets at this time of year sell sugar replicas of everything to stock your altar, from watermelons to beer cans and yes,miniature tacos.

Of course, celebrities and cultural icons deserve to be recognized. This film star altar was very popular and many people paused to spend a moment honoring their favorites:

Many of these altars are made with dyed sand, flower petals, or colored rice. It takes hours or even days to lay out intricate patterns similar to mandalas:

Skulls are not a requirement, but they are an opportunity for arts and crafts. The more decorated they are, the less spooky they’ll feel. Think Halloween costumes. This artsy altar included a skull with a mohawk, a monacled skull, and a pirate, among others:

The Calavara Catrina, the top image on this post, represents a fashionable skeleton as a reminder that you can’t take money with you into death. However, you can still be sexy during Day of the Dead, especially in Mexico City, where Halloween melds with Day of the Dead activities. Vida (life) is spelled out in this shop display, where fashionable catrina masks are for sale:

Over at the Hotel St. Regis on Reforma, the chefs had a decorating contest:

This last skull was my personal favorite. It doesn’t represent a particular person, but honors chefs and pokes fun at the lifestyle all at once. When you’re considering your altar, include items your people would have enjoyed. Virginia Woolf will go on my altar, and I’ll put a pencil on there too.

Think of an altar more as a scrapbook of your influences, a space you create to gather in one place the people you love, whether you knew them in life or not.