Day Of The Dead

Over 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they found natives practicing a ritual that seemed to make fun of the death. The native people had been practicing this ritual for maybe even 3,000 years. This ritual known as el DÐ"­a de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, was something that the Spaniards tried to destroy, but couldn't. El DÐ"­a de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and certain parts of the United States.

Although the ritual has since been combined with Catholic theology, it still uses the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls. Today, people wear wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls put on altars that are dedicated to the dead. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were made to symbolize death and rebirth. The skulls were used to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the month long ritual.

The Spaniards viewed death as the end of life, but the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, the natives embraced it. "The pre-Hispanic people honored duality as being dynamic," said Christina Gonzalez, senior lecturer on Hispanic issues at Arizona State University. The goddess, known as "Lady of the Dead," was seemed to have died at birth, Andrade said.

Today, the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America. In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. People would decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles. They would bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating