Feast of the Souls or Night of the Dead

Our tradition of commemorating the dead is one of the most beloved and widespread in our country. It has an eminently religious character that not only has Christian foundations taken from the custom of “honoring the faithful departed,” but also preserves many of the characteristics of the funeral ritual practiced by our pre-Hispanic ancestors.

The rituals of “vigil”, the placement of altars and offerings in homes and cemeteries to pay homage to the deceased, are the result of a complex fabric that brings together several cultural traditions: on the one hand, the native ones of pre-Columbian origin and, on the other, the Spanish Christian ones that came to us with the conquest, in addition to those of other groups from Africa, Asia and Europe who emigrated to Mexico during the Colonial period and, later, in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In Michoacán, the commemoration of the Day of the Dead is a solemn tradition that preserves this genuine manifestation of profound respect and veneration for beings that no longer exist physically and to whom, through the offering, tribute is paid.

The ritual of vigil carried out by many of our indigenous communities in the Lake Pátzcuaro region has deep roots and has been carried out since ancient times. The current inhabitants continue to maintain the rituals and methods that are fundamentally very similar, but with variations according to their own beliefs and customs.

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