An ofrenda is the altar families set up for Día de Muertos to welcome back the souls of their dead, and every item on it has a job. The meanings below come from Mexican government institutions: INPI, INAH and ISSSTE. Families and regions do it their own way, so not every altar has everything.

What goes on an ofrenda

Item	Spanish	What it is for
Photo of the person	la fotografía	Shows whose soul is being honored (ISSSTE)
Candles	las velas, las veladoras	Light, faith and hope (INPI), and a guide for the souls to the ofrenda (INAH)
Water	el agua	Quenches the thirst of the spirit after its journey (ISSSTE, INAH)
Salt	la sal	Purifies, so the body does not spoil on its trip there and back (INPI)
Cempasúchil	la flor de cempasúchil	Marks the path from the entrance of the house to the altar (INAH)
Copal and incense	el copal, el incienso	Perfume the space and drive away evil spirits (INAH)
Papel picado	el papel picado	Adds color and represents the wind (INAH)
Pan de muerto	el pan de muerto	A fraternal offering (INPI); its shape represents the cycle of life and death (ISSSTE)
Sugar skulls	las calaveritas de azúcar	Carry the name of the person the altar is for (ISSSTE)
Favorite food and drink	la comida favorita	Meant to delight the visiting soul (INPI)
Xoloitzcuintle dog	el perrito xoloitzcuintle	Helps souls cross the river on the way to Mictlán (INPI)

A closer look at a few of them

The photo. ISSSTE says the altar should include personal objects of the person, including a photograph. INPI describes an older custom where the portrait stays hidden and is seen only in a mirror.

The cempasúchil. Its petals mark the way from the entrance of the house to the altar (INAH), and ISSSTE says its scent and color help souls reach their ofrenda (ISSSTE). We explain the flower in Cempasúchil: Why This Flower and Why the Trail of Petals.

The food. According to ISSSTE, the food should be what the person liked, along with pan de muerto. INPI adds that the liquor is so the soul remembers the happy moments of its life, and that it is only for adults (INPI).

Papel picado. INAH says it represents the wind. Alimentación para el Bienestar, a government food agency, describes it instead as the union between life and death, so you will find more than one meaning.

How many levels does an ofrenda have?

Commonly two, three or seven, and the meaning changes with the number. According to ISSSTE:

• Two levels represent heaven and earth.
• Three levels add the underworld.
• Seven levels represent the seven places the soul has to cross to reach its rest.

There is no single correct version. Researchers quoted by UNAM Global describe a three-level home altar organized differently: images of saints on the first level, photos of the dead on the second, and their favorite foods on the third.

Are ofrendas a Catholic thing?

Partly, and how much is still debated. UNESCO describes Día de Muertos as “the fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts.” INPI says the ofrenda as we know it today reflects that mix: the Europeans brought flowers, wax, candles and veladoras, and Indigenous peoples brought copal, food and cempasúchil.

Some researchers put more weight on the Catholic side. An INAH archaeologist argues that November 1 and 2 began in medieval Europe and were set by the Catholic Church, and researchers quoted by UNAM Global say the home altar as we know it did not exist in pre-Hispanic Mexico.

Others point to regional traditions with older roots. INAH notes that the Purépecha people already honored their dead in autumn before evangelization. So the fair answer is: the dates and the home altar came with Catholicism, and Indigenous elements like copal, food and cempasúchil are woven into it.

When does the ofrenda go up?

A few days before November 1, according to INAH. ISSSTE notes that some people believe souls start arriving on October 27, the day for pets, and others only on November 1 and 2. INPI says the ofrenda for children is set up on October 31.

The full sequence of days is in our Día de Muertos guide.

Practice Spanish with a Native Mexican Teacher

Knowing what a tradition means changes what you can talk about. If you want to practice conversations like this one with a native Mexican teacher, we run live small-group Spanish conversation classes throughout the year: Spanish Group Conversation Classes.

For the full picture of the holiday, read our Día de Muertos guide.

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