The Day of the Dead (“Dia de los Muertos”) is celebrated in many countries in Latin America on November 1st and 2nd. At this time it is believed that the souls of the deceased return to the land of the living; people often make elaborate preparations to receive the souls of their loved ones and also to assist them on their journey. It is an ancient belief that was an important part of life in pre-Hispanic times, Spanish chronicles from Peru note how the Incas used to remove mummies from burial towers once a year in November for festivities related to the agricultural calendar. Since the Spanish conquest and introduction of Catholicism its celebration has coincided with All Saints Day (“Todos Santos”), in Bolivia the festival is also known as “Dia de los Difuntos” (Day of the Souls). The most famous celebrations occur in Mexico.
Preparations in Bolivia begin several days in advance when people clean and repair the graves of their deceased relations, and also prepare special bread loaves and biscuits for the event. Huge quantities of these loaves and the plaster faces that are used to decorate them will appear in markets throughout Bolivia in the next few days. Many of the designs of these loaves have special significance. Most common are the tantawawas (or tantahuahuas) in the form of people, these can be very elaborate and artistic and represent the souls of the dead. Other common figures include horses, llamas and steps or ladders, all of which are believed to help the souls on their journey. Trunks of sugar cane are also sold (these represent walking sticks to further assist the souls) and a wide variety of biscuits, sweets and cakes are also produced to nourish the souls after their journey.
On November 1st people set up “mesas” (altars or shrines) in their houses for the impending arrival of the souls of their loved ones. These can be very elaborate affairs, no expense or time is spared in making the souls feel welcome. Photos of the deceased are arranged along with large quantities of bread figures and biscuits, plates of the favourite food and drink of the deceased, candles, flowers etc. During the evening and often throughout the night people visit the houses of family and friends to pray for and be with the souls when they arrive, quite a solemn and moving experience.
The next day people take down their altars and take all of the decorations to the cemetery, where they hold vigils at the graves of their relatives and say farewell to their souls for another year. The cemeteries become very crowded and are well worth a visit in you can to experience the colourful and festive atmosphere. The bread figures, biscuits and fruit etc are shared with family and visitors, and musicians and priests hired to entertain and pray for the souls. In rural areas ceremonies can go on for several days, there are also many regional and ethnic variations on the celebrations. For anyone travelling in Bolivia November 2nd is a public holiday, so many offices and businesses will be shut though some transport is usually operating (especially long distance services).
Text and photos © James Brunker. Many more photos of Todos Santos and other festivals are available for licensing from Magical Andes Photography. Any reproduction of photographic images (whether printing, copying, use on websites etc) without prior permission from James Brunker is strictly prohibited.







