El Día de Los Muertos

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El Día de los Muertos: The Day of the Dead
On November 2nd returning butterflies bear the spirits of the departed. Candelight and incense guide their way. Families welcome the dead by having food placed on altars: ofrendas called micantlamanali. The dead are present in the following ways: a moth, candle flickering, glass tipping over. Skull candy inscribed with the name of the deceased, alfeñiques: lambs, chickens, bulls, ducks, & angel sugar candies are seen. Altars are decorated with the following elements: Earth: represented by a root vegetable: pumpkin. Fire: candles, Air: Papel picado: Paper cutouts of: skeletons, coffins, & skeleton bridal couples on pink, red, blue, purple, orange, & green tissue paper. Water: bowl of water. Flowers, puppets, ceramic skeletons, incense & toy coffins are decorations.

La ofrenda se ponía bajo la proteción de Coatlicue y Mictlantechulti deidades respectivas de la Tierra y del inframundo hoy en cambio, se acostumbra dedicar a San Miguel Archángel, al Santo Señor de Chalma al Santo Niño de Atocha o la Virgin de San Juan.
The altar is under the protection of Coatlicue & Mictlantechulti, dieties respectivly of the Earth and the Otherworld today changed, their customs dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, Sacred Elder of Chalma, Sacred Child of Atocha & the Virgin of San Juan. The nemicahitl: tree of life is decorated.
nemicahitl, los torturosos caminos del mictlán o mundo de las muertos. tree of life: the tortuous paths of mictlán or world of the dead. – Teresa E. Ronde

Foods: pan de los muertos: bread of the dead (pron. PAHN day lohs MWER-tos), a round bread flavored with anise, decorated with pink sugar and cross bone decorations, fruit, a corn drink called atole (pron. ah-TOH-lay), tamales, moles: sauces made of chili peppers &/or chocolate, peanuts, oranges, sugar cane, candied pumpkin squash, nougat, custard, jellies, hot chocolate, & fruit punch. The dead do not eat the food but inhale its essence at the end of the holiday. If nothing is offered the dead can exact revenge. At the end of the holiday leftover food is eaten by the living. (2, 11, 12, 13, 35)