Mexican Calaveritas

In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2. Many families set up an ofrenda or offering to the spirits of loved ones who have passed away.   It often includes favorite foods and drinks, flowers, candles, images of saints and the remembered ancestors, personal items, and other objects.   In urban areas, skulls and skeletons are popular elements of ofrendas. In addition to sugar skulls, miniature skeleton figures like these, known as calaveritas, reenact scenes from daily life. They represent the ancestors and things they liked to do, bringing back happy memories of the deceased.   These calaveritas are currently on display in Life After Death: The Day of the Dead in Mexico.