Día de los Muertos is a celebration shaped by centuries of cultural blending. Its roots lie in Indigenous rituals that honored ancestors with offerings, flowers, and food, later merging with Catholic traditions brought during colonization. Today, families build ofrendas, light candles, and decorate graves with marigolds to welcome the spirits home. At the center of its modern imagery stands La Catrina, inspired by José Guadalupe Posada’s early 20th‑century engraving of an elegant female skeleton. Originally a satire of upper‑class Mexicans who imitated European fashion, she evolved into a national symbol of identity and mortality. La Catrina reminds celebrants that death is universal, and that it can be faced with dignity, humor, and unmistakable style.