Calaveras

A calavera is an ornately decorated representation of a skull, often featuring flowers, animals, and other designs that are used as decorations on El Día de los Muertos. Calaveras are traditionally placed as a decoration on top of ofrendas and altars, as a symbol of remembrance and a sugary delight for the visiting spirits. Often, people write their loved one's name on the forehead of the sugar skull. The sugar skulls are often only consumed at the conclusion of the holiday. Miniature candy skulls are made for the baby angelitos and are displayed on the home ofrendas on November 1st, and on November 2, full-sized skulls are added for the returning adult spirits.

The symbol is a commemoration of the person you are honoring whether dead or alive. They can either be edible and made out of granulated sugar, water, and meringue powder or chocolate. Candy makers often work for 4-6 months before the holiday to have enough available when it arrives. Calaveras can also be non-edible and made out of papier mâché, wood, clay, and carved bones. Sugar skulls are sometimes eaten, but they are often left on altars and either the ants will eat them or the rain will wash it away, symbolizing that life doesn’t last forever.

Calaveras are important to El Día de los Muertos because it is a symbol of commemoration to a loved one, which is what this holiday is all about. They remind us to celebrate our lives and mortality, to look at the past and future, all while being present. During the holiday, this imagery is seen everywhere, from ofrendas, to paper crafts, on t-shirts, tattoos, and even cartoons in newspapers. In a way, the calavera has become an embodiment of the holiday itself. Calaveras are very deeply entrenched in Mexican culture which honors its roots and history. They are also a potent reminder of our own mortality. Because the symbol is a commemoration of the person you are honoring whether dead or alive, you don’t wait for someone to pass to offer them a sugar skull; you can give one as a gift on Day of the Dead as a sweet reminder that death is the only guaranteed thing in this life.