Calaveras have become one of the most recognizable symbols of Dia de los Muertos. Small sugar skulls are often made as treats and decoration during celebrations. Calaveras have also found their way into many forms of popular culture, featuring in everything from clothing and tattoos to video games and movies.
The calavera (a word that means “skull” in Spanish but that has come to mean the entire skeleton) has become one of the most recognizable cultural and artistic elements of the Day of the Dead festivities. Made from wood, paper maché, sugar paste, or carved bone, the colorful calavera are joyful, celebratory figures.
We are talking about las dulces calaveras (“sugar skulls”), a fundamental part of this traditional Mexican holiday.
Calavera can also refer to any artistic representations of skulls or skeletons, such as those in the prints of José Guadalupe Posada, or to gifts or treats in relation to the Day of the Dead.
Their name comes from the clay molded sugar that authentic sugar skulls are made from, before being decorated with feathers, colored beads, foils and icing. The skulls are very bright and cheerful, meant to celebrate the lives of the deceased.
Calavera de Azucar/Sugar Skulls
Unlike the ghoulish skulls and skeletons associated with Halloween, these brightly colored skulls represent the departed souls in the circle of life. “It's to celebrate their lives,” said Caballero.
It doesn't have to be, but the answer will differ depending on who you ask. Both Merson and Maya ultimately feel that recreating skull makeup doesn't need to be strictly for Mexican people, but both agree that there is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation.
For the Aztecs—the larger cultural group to which the Mexica belonged—those skulls were the seeds that would ensure the continued existence of humanity. They were a sign of life and regeneration, like the first flowers of spring. But the Spanish conquistadors who marched into Tenochtitlan in 1519 saw them differently.
Posadas's most famous etching is of La Calavera Catrina who has become an icon in Mexico representing the Dia De Los Muertos. The name La Calavera Catrina is derived from Diego Rivera's work Dream of a Sunday afternoon along Central Alameda.
The Mayans believed that the skull represented the seat of power and the essence of life. They adorned skulls with jewels and used them in rituals to honor the dead and communicate with the spirit world. The skull is also a symbol of life, a reminder that life is short and that you need to live it to the fullest.
The defleshed and painted human skulls, meant to be worn around the neck as pendants, were buried with a warrior over a thousand years ago at Pacbitun, a Maya city. They likely represent gruesome symbols of military might: war trophies made from the heads of defeated foes.
These sugar skulls are a significant item in the Mexican culture and their festival – the Day of the Dead. People use them to honor their deceased loved ones, but that is not all. According to traditional beliefs, the lines between the land of the dead and living blur during this time.
Usually not. But, if you don't have a connection to the language in some way, it can get into the realm of tacky. I'm 1/4 Mexican with pretty much white skin and I'm thinking about a ghost bride dia de las muertos tattoo or something custom that combines the Mexican and American flag.
It began as rituals honoring those who have died in ancient Mesoamerica, which later became linked to the Catholic festival of All Souls' Day. The Day of the Dead, as a result, turned into people leaving gifts and food on the graves of their loved ones who have passed.
Skulls made out of sugar became a Dia de los Muertos tradition that continues to this day. For generations, Mexican artisans created and maintained the tradition of making sweet skulls. They have since become one of the most iconic elements of Day of the Dead in Mexico.
Yellow: usually in the marigold used in the celebration, represents death. Purple represents grief and pain, in other cultures, it symbolizes wealth and royalty. Pink is hope, purity and celebration. White also represents purity and hope. Black represents the land of the dead.
At times, the skull is used as a symbol of toughness. It's also used to represent bravery as well as a life-and-death struggle. Skulls can also symbolize life and in some cultures the skull is used to celebrate deceased. Skulls have had many meanings and uses through Societies around the world and time.
It's not about being exclusive. Those who wish to partake just have to do so with respect and knowledge." While everyone we spoke to agreed that sugar skull makeup is fine to wear for Halloween parties, there are a few ways to respect the tradition, especially if you are going to a Dia de los Muertos celebration.
Today, these sugar skulls have come to take on a lot of different meanings. As said before, people often write the names of dead loved ones on the forehead of the skull when they make their offering. This is a way of dedicating them to their loved ones and creating a special tribute.
The reason they come in different sizes, besides decoration purposes, is because small skulls are usually meant to represent children, while the bigger skulls represent adults and elders.
Its traditions stem from Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture. “The sugar skulls find their roots in the ancient Aztec tradition of building altars called tzompantli using rows of actual human skulls,” Hilaire Kallendorf, a professor in the Hispanic Studies Department explained.
The traditional sugar skulls that we import from Mexico are NOT to be eaten. They are imported as folk art and NOT candy. They too have inedible tin foils and adornments. They are not made in food approved kitchens or packaged as food, so they are NOT to be eaten.
Sugar skulls are meant to be an offering
They can be found scattered throughout all the different ofrendas (offering/altar) as part of the celebration. Crafted from pure sugar, lemon juice, and water, which is hardened inside of a mold, sugar skulls are used in Mexican culture.
One can conclude that while head flattening was painful, and at times deadly, it was part of the Mayan culture. It gave the people the chance to believe in something greater. It also provided a sense belonging and place in society.
Heart extractions and sacrifice have been viewed as a “supreme religious expression among the ancient Maya". The removal of the still-beating heart, or sometimes self-immolation, was considered a great offering and meal for the gods.