Day of the Dead altars - fixin's and candle holders

Dia de los muertos ofrenda, Michoacan, Mexico - photo by A. Villalba

Ofrendas

Ofrendas are built inside the homes of the believers of Day of the Dead in Central and Southern Mexico. While there are regional differences in styles of the ofrendas due to income or custom, there are many altar mainstays to greet the weary spirits when they arrive. The children return on November first and the adults join their families on November 2.

Children's ofrendas are customized and decorated with delightful foods, candies and toys in miniature... miniature tamales, chocolates, tiny breads etc. Adult ofrendas feature the traditional candles, fruit, tamales, mole, mezcal, cempasuchil as well as photos, fashion magazines, cigars or folk art skeletons... and every ofrenda has pan de muerto and sugar skulls!

This impressive ofrenda in Michoacan uses aromatic marigolds, colored corn, and very unusually shaped pan de muerto breads, that represent female spirits of the dead.

Read our ofrenda information sheet & check list (pdf) here
Read our Day of the Dead information sheet (pdf) here


Silk Marigold Bouquet 9 GOLD flowers, 13" tall F2029 $8 each Mix gold & orange for greatest realistic effect.	Use a papier mache skull in bed of marigolds for a striking centerpiece! Marigolds are the typical flower used for Day of the Dead but hard to find in the U.S. during November. These silk marigolds (or cempasuchil) may be used in vases or cut apart for your altar-making.	Silk Marigold Bouquet 9 ORANGE flowers 13" tall F2045 $8 each Mix gold & orange for greatest realistic effect.

Vera Cruz man holding marigolds in a cemetary

Candle Holders On home ofrendas, it's quite common to find candle holders burning handmade candles round the clock to welcome the returning spirits. The candle holders represent the style of pottery made in a village. The green glazed candle holders above is traditional to Michoacan. Below, the skeleton bands are from north of Mexico City. The double-glazed Izucar candle holders are from Puebla.

Metepec Tree-of-Life candelabras ~ Skeleton bands celebrating Day of the Dead
(left to right) Tree Of Life ~ Small 3 ~ skull 6" tall F2084 $24 \| Tree Of Life ~ Single musico ~8" tall F2085 $52 Tree Of Life ~ 2 skeleton band ~ 9" tall F2088 $80 \| Tree Of Life ~ 3 skeleton band ~ 9" tall F2086 $85 (out)


Dime-size Mini Paper Roses Handmade by 5 old ladies in Mexico City.... and furthermore, Angela's mother got drafted to assort the colors once they hit state side! She's done thousands! These adorable roses are bright & beautiful and can be used for wrapping napkins, wedding decorations, cards, cello bags, sugar skulls or decorating something special. Assorted colors-wire stems. A bunch is 12 roses. Colors - We now have only bright colors available. The brights include red, bougainvillea and marigold orangy/yellow. No pastels. F2052 $5 / bunch	Guadalupe Tin Shrine recycled can art, 4" x 7" x 2.5" deep A1262 $21

Mini glass box Guadalupe Ofrenda 2" tall x 3" wide x 1 1/2" deep A1284 $22 each	Altar table 4" high x 4" wide x 3" deep A1293 $24 each


Oaxaca Skull - Thinking of Skulls Tipico clay ofrenda decoration typical of what's sold a the markets before Dia de Los Muertos. 3 1/2" tall. Not a candle. A1219 $13 each	Traditional Copal Incense for ofrendas 1 oz. of white Copal which is considered to be the highest quality, used by the Cathedral in Mexico City. Comes with 1 roll of fast-igniting charcoal disks. A2153 $18 /set	Black Shiny incense burner Shiny black traditional clay incense burner from Puebla, roll of charcoal discs and 1/2 oz. of Mexican copal resin incense. Approx 6 1/2" tall. A2012 $25 set

Sugar Angel

Sugar Angels are favorite boiled sugar figures as they are used on the ofrendas for the "angelitos" on November 1. Blue angels are used for baby boys who died, and pink for girls. But there are many colors. These hefty and well made angels are 3" tall, 2" wide and 1" deep. These have sweet featured faces and are extra special with the gold braid & trim in addition to the icing decorations.

A2031 $14 each, assorted colors

Please explore our Sugar Art for other decorated sugar pieces for your ofrenda.


Good luck amulet bottle - Peru , 6.5" x 3.5" (Cat not included) A1250 $20 each

Alabaster love stone amulet - Peru 1" x 1.5" A1251 $7.50 each. Watch the video to learn how this love stone works!


Beautifully detailed Ceramic Candle Holders from Izucar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico. Assorted designs & colors. Sold individually. approx. 8 in. tall Flower Senorita F2031 $46 Charro F2033 $46	Bird Head Skull Oaxacan altar decoration, probably intended for a woman who loved her birds! 3" tall. A1220 $12 each (out)