What does the Pan de Muerto on the altar mean?

Published October 4, 2024

The Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico is very special within homes, as it remembers our loved ones who have already passed away. And one of the special protagonists in this festival is ( Pan de Muerto ) the bread of the dead.

The belief is that on November 1 and 2 of each year, the deceased return to our homes, being the main guests of this great party.

Although this celebration integrates very characteristic components such as literary skulls and parades, the altar of the dead is the key element of the celebration.

The altars of the dead are made up of elements such as photographs, objects such as toys, candles, chopped paper, flowers, as well as drinks and food. In this last element, the bread of the dead cannot be missing.
( Pan de Muerto ) Bread of the dead, is a true pleasure for the living.

It has its origins in the time of the Conquest; Today it is one of the most important traditions for offerings dedicated to the dead.

The populations, especially in the center and south of the country, have had a particular taste for this bread, dedicated to the deceased who return to be reunited with their families, in accordance with the tradition of the “Day of the Dead” that has been inherited from generation to generation. for several centuries.

Who invented Pan de Muerto?

The preparation of a special bread for this celebration dates back to the time of human sacrifice and the arrival of the Spanish to what was then New Spain, in 1519.

They say that it was a ritual, that a princess was offered to the gods, her still beating heart was placed in a pot with amaranth and then whoever led the rite bit the heart as a sign of gratitude to a god.

The Spanish rejected this type of sacrifice and made a heart-shaped wheat bread dipped in sugar painted red, simulating the maiden’s blood. This is how bread of the dead came about.

Historians have revealed that the birth of this bread is based on a rite that the first settlers of Mesoamerica performed for the dead that they buried with their belongings.

In the book “Of Our Traditions” the preparation of a bread composed of ground and toasted amaranth seeds, mixed with the blood of the sacrifices that were offered in honor of Izcoxauhqui, Cuetzaltzin or Huehuetéotl, is narrated.

They also made an idol of Huitzilopochtli of “joy”, to which they then attached a pickaxe and, as a sacrifice, they took out the heart in a symbolic way, since the amaranth bread was the heart of the idol. Then some pieces of the bread were distributed among the people to share the divinity.

It is believed that pan de muerto arose from there, which was modified in various ways until it reached the current one.

The bread of the dead has a meaning, the circle at the top of it is the skull, the quills are the bones and the orange blossom flavor is in memory of those who have already died. The celebration of the dead thus becomes a mortuary banquet dominated by yellow foods and flowers (the color of death for pre-Hispanic cultures) such as cempasuchil, clemoles, oranges, guavas, bananas, pumpkins and the characteristic bread of the occasion.

Some historians have said that this puff pastry bread, with its four drops or quills, symbolizes the bones of the one who is gone. The top part, its heart. For others, the bread has the four cross-shaped quills, because they designate the four directions of the nahuolli (the universe). Depending on the region, there are different customs for making it; In Puebla, there is a variety in which sesame seeds are added; They also make the necks. In Oaxaca it is a yema bread decorated like alfeñique. In the case of Mexico City, the traditional thing is to see it covered in sugar and in some cases, it is filled with chocolate, the bread is vanilla flavor, it is covered with red sugar, orange, walnut or filled with skulls is added.

In Yucatán they sometimes fill it with cream cheese and in Morelos they make it in the shape of a human with crossed arms, covered in red sugar.

For the months of October and November you will see pan de muerto sold in stores, festivals and mercados.. some restaurants may offer them.

The Day of the Dead tradition is possibly the most important of all, it is full of feelings, symbolism, drinks and food. One of the iconic preparations of this date is pan de muerto, it is usually accompanied with hot drinks such as; Chocolate caliente, cafe de olla, Atole de cempasuchil. Buen Provecho!

By Laura Islas Union Guanajuato
Translated by Efrain Gonzalez San Miguel de Allende.